A man in his 20s who fatally assaulted his 29-day-old son with a ringed hand... Murder charge under review

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] The prosecution is considering applying murder charges to a man in his 20s who fatally struck the forehead of his child, less than a month old, with a ring-adorned hand, citing irritation from the child’s crying.

The defendant, A (21), is accused of fatally hitting his 29-day-old child, B, twice on the forehead with a metal ring worn on his left thumb at their home in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 2nd of last month after the child would not stop crying and would not sleep. B died the same day from head injuries including acute subdural hemorrhage and brain edema.

At the time, A falsely told the police that the child was injured when a mobile toy fell, but later confessed to the crime after continued police questioning.

Additionally, A is charged with physically abusing B on four occasions, including violently shaking the mattress where B was lying in mid-December last year, and failing to provide necessary treatment despite B showing signs of distress such as heavy breathing and a weakened body after passing a large amount of stool four days before death.

Investigations revealed that A, who was raising the child alone after the child’s biological mother, his ex-partner, refused custody, committed the crime. It was also uncovered that A threatened the mother. A’s defense attorney stated, "We acknowledge all the evidence submitted and the charges raised against A," admitting to all allegations.

Based on the investigation results, the prosecution indicted A on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. On the 23rd, the Suwon District Court’s 15th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Jo Hyu-ok) held the first trial for A, who was detained and indicted on charges including child abuse resulting in death. The prosecution stated, "There is a need to review the charges again," and announced that they are considering changing the indictment to murder on the day of the first trial.

The prosecution further explained, "Since this is a detention case, we were unable to confirm the cause of death and progress from the autopsy results within the indictment deadline," adding, "We requested forensic examinations from related institutions during the investigation phase, and based on these, there is room to reconsider the charges in the indictment."

The prosecution plans to submit additional evidence by requesting forensic examination reports from Seoul National University and Jeonbuk National University. The court will hold a second trial on April 27 to allow the prosecution to submit additional evidence and conduct a 'pre-judgment investigation' regarding A.

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