Mother Sentenced to Reduced Term in Appeal for Killing and Abandoning 5-Day-Old Son... Father’s Original Sentence Upheld

A biological mother who deliberately killed her 5-day-old son and disposed of the body received a reduced sentence in the appellate court.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court (Presiding Judge Min Dalki) held an appellate hearing on the 20th and sentenced the father, Mr. A in his 20s, to 8 years in prison, and the mother, Ms. B, to 7 years in prison, along with a 5-year employment ban in child-related institutions.

Both were sentenced to 8 years in prison in the first trial last year on November 1, but appealed on the grounds that the sentence was too harsh.

The prosecution also filed an appeal, demanding a heavier sentence.

Police officers are conducting a search operation in the stream where the infant's body was abandoned.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

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The couple, who were in a de facto marital relationship, are suspects in the so-called ‘Geoje Infant Murder and Abandonment Case.’ They gave birth to baby C at an obstetrics clinic in Geoje on September 5, 2022, and were discharged four days later. They are accused of killing baby C at their residence.

Baby C’s body was stored in a refrigerator immediately after the murder and was discarded in a nearby stream early the next morning.

It was revealed that they had planned the crime by searching the internet for infant murder cases and scouting locations to dispose of the body starting three months before the birth.

After the crime, they were found to have lived their daily lives at their residence and even took photos.

Mr. A and others testified that they committed the crime due to financial difficulties and fear that their respective parents would find out about the birth, which would lead to their separation.

The police searched the location where the couple confessed to abandoning the body for several days, but baby C’s body was never found.

Previously, the prosecution requested the court to sentence them to 15 years in prison, 5 years of probation, and 10 years of electronic monitoring.

The appellate court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, “Everyone knows that murder is a serious crime. However, considering that Ms. B is remorseful and appears not to have actively led or directly carried out the crime.”

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