"X Like Incident Happens" 7-Month-Old Daughter Dies, But Father Accesses 'Pornographic Site'

Heartless Parents Starved 7-Month-Old Daughter to Death
Evidence of Accessing 'Pornographic Video' Sites on Father's Phone
Mother Carried Only Hair Curler Passing by Corpse in Cardboard Box
First Trial: Husband Sentenced to 20 Years, Wife 15 Years Long-Term and 7 Years Short-Term

On June 7 last year, parents A (22) and B (19), who are accused of leaving their 7-month-old baby girl alone in an apartment with two pet dogs, resulting in her death, are leaving Michuhol Police Station in Hakik-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, to attend a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) at the Incheon District Court.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As heavy sentences were handed down to the parents in their 20s and teens who were charged with killing their 7-month-old daughter by leaving her alone at home for five days while playing games and drinking, criticism has arisen over their inhumane behavior. Right after the daughter’s death, the father was found to have accessed an adult video site on his phone, and the mother left the house carrying only a hair straightener instead of her daughter’s body.

According to the first trial verdict of the case, the couple showed heartless behavior during the process of their daughter’s death. Especially when considering the process leading to the daughter’s death and the couple’s behavior immediately after, they appeared to have abandoned their parental duties.

The husband A (22) and wife B (19) were arrested and indicted on charges including leaving their 7-month-old daughter C (1) alone in their apartment in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, from May 26 to May 31 last year, resulting in her death.

On June 2, C was found dead by her maternal grandfather, placed inside a cardboard box in the apartment living room.

According to the police, the couple lived separately in motels without a fixed residence. They left their daughter unattended while drinking with friends and going to the beach. During this period, B posted on Facebook a photo of a drinking party with the caption "Drank yesterday, drank today."

After six days from feeding their daughter her last bottle of milk, the couple returned home around 4 p.m. on May 31. The daughter was already deceased.

The cause of death was "severe dehydration and starvation." However, A prepared a cardboard box and placed his deceased daughter inside. Immediately afterward, traces of accessing an adult video site were found on A’s phone.

The mother, B, packed a hair straightener and left the house passing by the cardboard box containing her daughter’s body at the front door. That night around 11 p.m., she posted on her Facebook, "Three days in a row, only shitty things keep happening."

Two days after C’s death, on June 2, the maternal grandmother visited the couple’s home and found the decomposed baby’s body in the cardboard box at the front door.

The prosecution believes the couple left their deceased daughter at home intending to bury her in a nearby mountain and did not inform anyone, charging them additionally with abandonment of a corpse.

The court ruled that the couple killed their daughter. The first trial court stated, "The defendants may not have intended to leave the victim to die, but they could have recognized the possibility of death," and "there is sufficient evidence to acknowledge intent to kill," sentencing A to 20 years in prison. B, who was a minor at 18 years old at the time, was sentenced under the Juvenile Act to a long-term imprisonment of 15 years to a short-term imprisonment of 7 years.

The sentence in the appeal trial is expected to be reduced compared to the first trial. The prosecution has not appealed the first trial sentence.

The court stated on this day, "Since the year has changed and B has become an adult, the sentence given in the first trial cannot be imposed disadvantageously on B," and "the sentence cannot exceed 7 years." Regarding A, the court explained, "The sentence must be aligned with that of his wife B, so the 20-year imprisonment sentence from the first trial will inevitably be significantly adjusted." The court will announce the appeal sentence on the afternoon of the 26th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.