[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] A 9-year-old child who was trapped consecutively in two cramped travel bags for over 7 hours left a final cry of "Ah, I can't breathe..." before ultimately passing away.
The cohabiting partner of the child's biological father, who was called "Mom" by the child, refused to admit her wrongdoing until the end and faced severe legal judgment.
On the 16th, according to a summary of explanations from the prosecution and the court, defendant A (41), charged with murder, habitual child abuse, and special injury, locked B (9), the son of her cohabiting partner, inside a travel bag measuring 50 cm wide, 71.5 cm long, and 29 cm deep at her residence in Cheonan, Chungnam, around noon on June 1, then zipped it shut.
B, confined in the sealed bag for a long time without food, urinated inside the bag.
A’s biological children, who were at home at the time, testified to the prosecution that when B briefly came out of the bag, "He looked weak when speaking, his hair was soaked with sweat, and he was covered in urine."
After going out and returning while keeping B locked in the bag, A instructed the exhausted B, who had urinated, to get into an even smaller bag measuring 44 cm wide, 60 cm long, and 24 cm deep.
Regarding B’s situation inside this smaller bag, the prosecution stated, "Based on a reenactment with a mannequin, he would have had to bend his head nearly 90 degrees and hold his thighs close to his chest."
Despite this, A, who weighs around 70 kg, stepped onto the middle of the bag and even made her biological children step onto the bag as well.
B, who was in a position where even slight movement was difficult, had to endure a total weight of about 160 kg.
The child’s own body weight inside the bag was only 23 kg.
The court then delivered a kind of eulogy to B.
Chief Judge Chae Daewon said, "The victim passively accepted abuse and easily admitted to accusations, even for things he did not do wrong," adding, "However, the victim was just a child."
He continued, "The victim remembered by the bereaved family, school teachers, and neighbors was a cheerful child who loved to dance," and added, "Until the very end, he asked his mother to save him, but he faced a tragic outcome."
The last action of B, as identified by the prosecution before he lost consciousness after being trapped in two bags for about 7 hours, was crying out.
Then, after shouting "Ah, breath!" B’s movements subsided. This child, who screamed inside the bag that he couldn’t breathe, regarded A?who lived with his father without registering their marriage?as "Mom" until just before his death.
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