Cruel Biological Parents and Maternal Grandmother Who Killed Child Born with Disability

Court Sentences Biological Father to 6 Years, Biological Mother to 4 Years
"Considering the Harsh Reality of Raising a Disabled Child"
Biological Mother Breaks Down in Court Saying "It's Unfair"

Biological parents and a maternal grandmother who were prosecuted for neglecting a baby born with a disability, causing the baby's death, and abandoning the body were sentenced to prison.

According to Yonhap News and others on the 19th, the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) sentenced biological father A, who was arrested and indicted on murder charges, to six years in prison, and maternal grandmother B to five years in prison. Biological mother C, who was indicted without detention on the same charges, was also sentenced to four years in prison but was not taken into custody in court due to health reasons.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

The court stated, "The defendants neglected the baby after premature birth at 34 weeks of pregnancy without taking any measures, leading to the baby's death," and added, "The crime is serious as it shows disregard for life." However, the court also explained the sentencing by saying, "In the harsh reality of our society where the burden of raising a disabled child falls on the family, it is not easy to bear that burden when financially strained," and "There is a social burden regarding disabled minorities that led the individual defendants to make an extreme choice."

A and others were indicted on charges of leaving a baby boy, born by cesarean section at an obstetrics clinic in March 2015, unattended at home for a day, resulting in his death. They are also accused of burying and abandoning the body in a nearby mountain the following day after confirming the baby's death.

Investigators found that A and others conspired to commit the crime after receiving a prenatal genetic test diagnosis suggesting the baby might have Down syndrome.

Biological mother B was advised by medical staff to undergo amniocentesis after suspicion of Down syndrome at 34 weeks of pregnancy but refused, and agreed to a cesarean section earlier than the expected delivery date. After the birth, A refused a doctor's recommendation for further treatment at another hospital and handed the newborn to maternal grandmother B, who left the infant requiring intensive care unattended on the master bedroom bed, leading to the baby's death, according to investigators.

They claimed that although an abortion procedure was performed, the baby was born alive and handed over to maternal grandmother B, and that the baby died naturally without intent to kill. However, the court found, "After reviewing medical records, it cannot be confirmed that there was an intent to kill the victim in the womb through abortion."

The court further judged, "Considering the hospital fees paid by the defendants and circumstances after the surgery, it is recognized that the defendants underwent a cesarean section, and despite knowing that the baby could die without hospital care, they took the baby without proper protective measures, resulting in death, which constitutes implied intent to kill."

Upon the verdict, biological mother C cried out, "This is so unfair. I want to die."

Meanwhile, this case came to light as the government conducted a full investigation of children remaining with temporary newborn numbers without birth registration. The police investigating the case conducted a search to find the buried baby's body but reportedly failed to locate it.

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