Court Sentences Woman to 22 Years in Prison for Killing by Confinement with Travel Bag in Cheonan

Court Ruling Recognizes Murder Charge Applied by Prosecution

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A woman in her 40s who was arrested and indicted for confining her cohabiting boyfriend's 9-year-old son in a travel bag for nearly 7 hours, resulting in the child's death, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of murder.

The Criminal Division 1 of Cheonan Branch Court of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Dae-won Chae) sentenced A (41) to 22 years in prison on the 16th in a verdict trial on charges of murder and violation of the Child Welfare Act. The court stated, "It appears that the victim died as a result of a series of the defendant's actions, and the defendant is recognized to have had indirect intent to kill," applying the charge of murder to A and ruling accordingly.

A was arrested and indicted on charges of confining B, the son of her cohabiting boyfriend, in a travel bag (width 50 cm, height 71.5 cm, depth 29 cm) for about 3 hours and then in a smaller bag (width 44 cm, height 60 cm, depth 24 cm) for nearly 4 hours at an apartment in Cheonan, Chungnam, around noon on June 1, ultimately causing death due to 'hypoxic brain injury.'

During the confinement, instead of releasing B, who repeatedly complained of "not being able to breathe," A was investigated to have jumped on the bag and even blown hot air from a hairdryer into it.