"Star, 8, Abused and Murdered: Couple Sentenced to 30 Years for Starvation and Feces Abuse"

Star, who passed away at the age of 8 while suffering abuse from her biological mother and stepfather / Photo by Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association (Daehakhyeop)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A couple in their 20s who starved and abused their 8-year-old daughter Byeori to death have been sentenced to 30 years in prison each by the Supreme Court.

On the morning of the 11th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dongwon) dismissed the appeals of Byeori's biological mother, Ms. A (29, female), and her adoptive father, Mr. B (28, male), who were charged with murder and violations of the Child Welfare Act, confirming the original sentence of 30 years imprisonment each. The court stated, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment regarding the intent of the murder charge."

The couple is accused of continuously abusing Byeori for over three years since 2018 by beating and starving her, leading to her death on March 2 of last year. Byeori was abused for reasons such as secretly eating jokbal (pig's trotters) taken from the refrigerator in her room and discarding the bones. Mr. B reportedly forced Byeori to eat feces after she had accidents, and Ms. A was found to have neglected her despite knowing about it. The autopsy revealed that Byeori was severely underweight at 110 cm tall and 13 kg. There was no food in her stomach or intestines.

During the trial, the couple argued, "It is true that we abused Byeori for a long time, but we never intended to kill her." They also claimed that the testimony of Byeori's biological older brother, Mr. C, who is one year older, was false. They pleaded for leniency so that they could raise their youngest daughter, Ms. D, born in prison in April last year, and Mr. C after their release. Ms. A appeared in court holding Ms. D, whom she had with Mr. B, at every hearing.

The prosecution argued that Ms. A made Byeori, who was bleeding from wounds, take a cold shower, and that Mr. B played smartphone games in the living room even after seeing Byeori collapse in the bathroom.

Previously, both the first and second trials sentenced the couple to 30 years in prison each. The second trial court stated, "The victim was an 8-year-old child lacking defensive ability at the time of death and should have been protected by adults, but was subjected to prolonged abuse by the defendants who had the duty to protect and raise her, leading to her death." It also ruled, "There is no reason to believe that the victim's older brother lied in his testimony related to this case, and since he had a good relationship with the defendants, there was no particular reason for him to testify unfavorably."

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