30-Year-Old Sentenced to 10 Years for Abusing and Causing Death of Cohabiting Partner's 3-Year-Old Daughter: "Ended Life Miserably in a Brain-Dead State"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A woman in her 30s who was tried for killing her cohabiting partner’s 3-year-old daughter by beating her with a blunt object was sentenced to a heavy prison term and taken into custody in court.

The Criminal Division 13 of Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Ko Eunseol) sentenced A (35, female), who was indicted on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to 10 years in prison on the 15th. She was also ordered to complete 120 hours of a child abuse treatment program and was restricted from working at child-related institutions for 10 years.

The court stated, “The defendant beat the young victim, a 3-year-old child who called her ‘mom,’ causing her death,” and added, “The victim fell into a brain death state and tragically ended her short life.”

It continued, “The victim’s biological father submitted a petition requesting severe punishment, expressing extreme mental anguish,” and “considered that the defendant avoided responsibility during the investigation and in court and did not provide sincere testimony.”

However, the court explained the sentencing reasoning by saying, “The defendant is a first-time offender with no prior criminal record, and the sentencing guidelines for child abuse resulting in death recommend 6 to 10 years in prison when aggravating factors are present.”

Earlier, the prosecution demanded a 20-year prison sentence for A, stating, “The method of the crime, including beating the young victim with a blunt object, was brutal.”

A was indicted for beating the head of B (3), the daughter of her cohabiting partner, multiple times with a blunt object at their home in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, in January 2019, causing her death. B fell into a brain death state due to a skull fracture and subdural hemorrhage and died about a month later on February 26 of the same year.

It was confirmed that A sent a KakaoTalk message to an acquaintance 1 hour and 30 minutes before the crime, saying, “Got hit again. I warned beforehand. Pushed and threw. Got hit on the ear without showing it.”

Investigations revealed that she repeatedly assaulted B by forcefully pushing her chest so she hit the floor or hitting her with her hands because B “did not tidy up her toys” or “chased and harassed the pet dog.”

During the trial, A admitted to the abuse but completely denied the charge of ‘causing death.’

Through her lawyer, she claimed, “There is no causal relationship between the abuse and the victim’s death, and the victim’s death could not have been foreseen at the time of the abuse.”

However, the neurosurgeon who treated the victim and the forensic pathologist testified to the court that “the crushed skull fracture observed in the victim results from a very strong impact,” and “it requires a strong external force such as a strike using a rod or a wooden club.”

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