Mother Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegally Buried Daughter Aged One Week: "Heavy Guilt"

A mother in her 40s who secretly buried her one-week-old daughter in a vegetable garden seven years ago and caused her death was sentenced to prison.

The Criminal Division 15 of Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Ryu Hojung) sentenced A (45), who was indicted on charges of murder and corpse abandonment, to seven years in prison at the sentencing hearing held on the 11th.

A was arrested and indicted on charges of killing her daughter B by secretly burying her in a vegetable garden in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province, in mid-August 2016. It was investigated that she buried her daughter, who was born at an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Incheon, in a vegetable garden owned by her stepfather before the baby was even one week old.

At the time, she took her eldest son C, who was 11 years old, by taxi to the vegetable garden and buried her daughter in front of him. A was separated from her husband when she gave birth to B, and after the divorce, she raised C alone.

A mother who secretly buried and killed her one-week-old daughter 7 years ago
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The court stated, "The defendant had time to prepare for childbirth after becoming pregnant with the victim but took no special measures, and when adoption was not possible, she buried and killed the victim. This is highly blameworthy and the guilt is heavy."

However, the court also explained, "The defendant admitted to the crime and showed remorse, and having had an unfortunate childhood and limited social experience, it was difficult for her to seek help from those around her. At that time, she was not in contact with the biological father and was only maintaining a marital relationship with her spouse, so it was difficult to receive support."

The court added, "The defendant’s son, who is a victim of child abuse, earnestly hopes for leniency," and "considered that the defendant is a first-time offender with no prior criminal record" as reasons for the sentencing.

Earlier, at the sentencing hearing in November last year, the prosecution demanded a 20-year prison sentence for A, stating, "She killed the newborn directly in front of her other child who was watching because she was unable to raise the baby, and even abandoned the body."

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