A 20-Year-Old Father Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months for Causing the Suffocation Death of His 105-Day-Old Daughter by Placing Her Face Down on a Cushion

Biological Mother Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. / Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A man in his 20s was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for causing the death of his 105-day-old daughter by leaving her face down for an extended period in a residential area of Incheon. The mother, who was charged without detention for neglect and other offenses, was given a suspended sentence.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Ho Seong-ho) sentenced Mr. A (24, male), who was detained and indicted on charges including violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (child abuse resulting in death), to 3 years and 6 months in prison at the sentencing hearing held on the 10th.

Additionally, he was ordered to complete 40 hours of a child abuse treatment program and was banned from employment at child-related institutions for 5 years.

Meanwhile, Ms. B (20, female), the mother who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment and neglect), was sentenced to 4 months in prison with a suspended sentence and required to attend 40 hours of child abuse recidivism prevention lectures.

The court stated, "Mr. A and others raised the victim child in unsanitary conditions and left the child alone for long periods around 80 days after birth. Mr. A left the child face down on a cushion because the child was crying, which led to death. Considering that he had previously engaged in similar behavior leading to the child's death, the social condemnation is significant."

However, the court also noted, "Considering the young age of the parents in their early 20s and their lack of parenting knowledge, and that there is no evidence of other physical or emotional abuse, and that Ms. B's neglect was relatively minor, these factors were comprehensively taken into account in sentencing."

Courtroom. /Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Mr. A was indicted on charges of causing the death of his 105-day-old daughter, Ms. C, at a residence in Bupyeong-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, around 11 a.m. on February 24. Ms. B was also brought to trial for neglecting Ms. C and failing to care for her properly.

On the day of the incident, emergency responders who arrived after Mr. A reported that "my daughter is not breathing" found cyanosis, a bluish discoloration, on Ms. C's face, hands, and feet, and transported her to a nearby hospital, but she ultimately passed away. It was confirmed that Ms. B was out the night before the incident and was absent when her husband called 119.

The National Forensic Service, which conducted an autopsy on Ms. C's body at the police's request, reported the cause of death as presumed respiratory distress.

Mr. A claimed that after feeding Ms. C, he placed her face down on an anti-reflux cushion designed to prevent breast milk from flowing back into the esophagus and then fell asleep.

However, the prosecution argued during the trial, "Mr. A left Ms. C on the anti-reflux cushion while playing games and eating late-night snacks. When Ms. C cried, he became angry and pressed her face into the cushion, causing suffocation and death."

Mr. A and Ms. B expressed their remorse in their closing statements, saying, "We are sorry to the child who left us unfairly."

During the defendant's examination, Mr. A's lawyer showed a photo of a cigarette near the child's mouth and asked for an explanation. Mr. A responded, "I did not make the child smoke or put the cigarette in her mouth. I only brought it close to her mouth and took the photo to amuse Ms. B."

In response to the prosecution's question, "If you were watching the child closely, was it really necessary to tape a pacifier to the child's face?" Mr. A said, "The child kept sticking out her tongue and trying to spit out the pacifier, so I taped it to help her get used to it."

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