70-Year-Old Mother Who Cared for Daughter with Cerebral Infarction for 15 Years Sentenced to Probation for Murder

Published 17 Jan.2020 13:34(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seong-yeol] A woman in her 70s who was charged with killing her daughter, who had difficulty moving due to a cerebral infarction, after caring for her for 15 years, was sentenced to probation.

The Criminal Division 12 of Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Song Hyun-kyung) announced on the 17th that A (70, female), who was charged with murder, was sentenced to 3 years in prison with 5 years of probation.

The court stated, "The defendant killed her daughter who was asleep after taking sleeping pills," and "Murder, which takes away the most dignified value of life, cannot be tolerated for any reason."

However, the court explained the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendant is reflecting on the crime and must have suffered considerable physical pain while caring for the victim for 15 years," and "Considering that the defendant committed the crime with the thought that if she died, there would be no one to care for the victim and that she intended to die together."

It added, "Considering that there are realistically insufficient facilities or institutional support to treat patients with mobility difficulties, it is difficult to place the entire tragedy of this case solely on the defendant's responsibility."

Earlier, A was charged with strangling her 48-year-old daughter B to death around 12:40 PM on September 24 last year at an apartment in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. It is known that she committed the crime after giving B sleeping pills while her husband was out.

A had been caring for B, who collapsed due to a cerebral infarction in 2004, including assisting with her excretion, for 15 years.

She was diagnosed with depression due to the long caregiving period, and it was confirmed that before the crime, she told her family, "I will kill my daughter and then I must die too."