"Possibility of Accidental Death"... 40s Father Accused of Killing Daughter Found Not Guilty

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 40s accused of conspiring with his girlfriend to kill his biological daughter was acquitted by the Supreme Court.

On the 8th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Ahn Cheolsang) announced that it upheld the lower court's not guilty verdict in the appeal trial of A (42), who was charged with murder.

Previously, A was prosecuted on charges of strangling his biological daughter C (then 7 years old) and drowning her in a bathtub at a hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in 2019, in conspiracy with his girlfriend B.

He divorced his wife in 2017 and began cohabiting with B in China, but was known to have maintained a close relationship with C. However, B was investigated to have hated C, saying things like "She ate our child" or "Devil," after experiencing two miscarriages.

Notably, on the day of the incident, A had returned to Korea and was staying at the hotel with C, and it was revealed that he had exchanged text messages with B about conspiring to kill the daughter beforehand. According to investigative authorities, A smoked outside the room and drank in the lobby before returning to the room and reporting that "my daughter has collapsed in the bathroom."

In court, A's side argued, "There was no motive to kill his biological daughter," and "He only pretended to go along to calm B, who suffers from a mental illness, and did not actually conspire to kill."

The first trial found A guilty and sentenced him to 22 years in prison. The court focused on the fact that A continued a romantic relationship for a considerable period despite knowing B's extreme hatred toward C, and that he sent messages such as "We will definitely succeed tonight" just before the incident. The court also rejected A's claim that he only pretended to agree with the murder plan to calm his girlfriend.

On the other hand, the second trial overturned the verdict and acquitted him. The court at that time stated, "There is no clear motive for A to kill C," and "C's biological mother, the ex-wife, also testified that 'A loved his daughter and would never have killed her.'" It also pointed out that the autopsy results could not rule out the possibility that C slipped and died in the bathtub.

The Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment and dismissed the prosecutor's appeal.

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