Mother Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Killing Daughter with Schizophrenia After 23 Years of Caregiving Exhaustion

Court: "Even Parents Have No Right to Decide Their Child's Life"
"It Is Difficult to Place the Blame for the Tragic Outcome Solely on the Defendant"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A woman in her 60s who killed her daughter, who had long suffered from schizophrenia, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Court (Chief Judge Shin Hyuk-jae) announced on the 9th that it sentenced A, a woman in her 60s accused of murder, to four years in prison.

Earlier, A was arrested and indicted on charges of killing her daughter B, who was sleeping at home. When B began suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder since middle school, A quit her job and cared for her daughter for 23 years by hospitalizing her or having her receive outpatient treatment.

However, B refused to take the medication prescribed by the hospital, frequently caused disturbances with severe verbal abuse, and even ran away from home, showing no signs of improvement in her condition.

Exhausted by this situation, A ultimately made a tragic decision last May.

A’s defense attorney claimed that at the time of the crime, A was in a state of mental incapacity or diminished capacity, such as 'burnout syndrome,' where a person suddenly becomes lethargic while focusing on one task, but this was not accepted.

The court did not acknowledge this claim, noting that A gave detailed statements during the first police investigation on the day of the crime, including saying, "I killed my daughter when my husband was not home because I could not kill her if he was there."

Regarding the claim that the crime was accidental, the court judged that A had intent, citing her statement during the second police investigation: "Before dying together, I went to see my daughter's face one more time and to come to terms with it."

The court stated, "The defendant infringed upon an irreplaceable human life, causing irreversible and serious consequences," and "No matter how long the defendant had carefully cared for the victim, who suffered from mental illness, she did not have the authority to recklessly decide over her child's life."

It further pointed out, "Not all parents in similar situations as the defendant make the same choice."

However, the court also noted, "The defendant and her husband are aging, and despite continuous efforts, the victim’s condition showed no signs of improvement, which seems to have gradually weakened the defendant’s mind and body, leading to the crime," and "Considering the reality that a significant portion of treatment and protection for severely mentally ill patients is borne by families rather than the state and society, it is difficult to place sole responsibility for this tragic outcome on the defendant."

Additionally, "The victim’s only surviving family member, the defendant’s husband, has petitioned for leniency, and the defendant herself is remorseful," adding, "The defendant surrendered immediately after the incident and is likely to carry the guilt of having killed her child for the rest of her life."

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