Postpartum Depression Leads to Killing of 4-Month-Old Baby... Suspended Sentence Upheld in Appeal Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] A biological mother who was tried for killing her 4-month-old son was sentenced to probation again in the appellate court. The court took into account that the mother was in a state of diminished mental capacity.

On the 29th, according to the legal community, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judges Yoon Seung-eun, Kim Daehyun, Ha Tae-han) sentenced A (42), who was indicted for murder, to 3 years in prison with 5 years probation, the same as the first trial.

A was tried for suffocating her 4-month-old son at home in April last year. She had undergone several attempts at in vitro fertilization to have a child but suffered severe depression and delusions due to postpartum stress after giving birth.

A became delusional, suspecting brain damage when the baby cried from hunger and became weak, believing the child would live with a lifelong disability. Eventually, after several attempts to kill the child starting in February last year, she suffocated him to death in April, two months later.

During the trial, A’s side claimed she experienced mental impairment due to postpartum depression and emphasized her state of loss of control, arguing for acquittal. The first trial court stated, "The act of taking the life of a young child under her care is highly condemnable and the damage to legal interests is devastating," but still sentenced A to probation. The court ruled, "If she had not suffered psychotic symptoms, this tragic incident of killing a child she desperately wanted and had with difficulty would not have occurred."

The appellate court shared the same view. The court stated, "It is questionable whether it is appropriate to enforce imprisonment on a defendant whose mental illness has not yet been fully cured and who would find it difficult to receive substantial treatment in correctional facilities." However, the court newly ordered 2 years of probation supervision.

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