"Mother Given 6-Year Sentence for Giving Sleep Medication to 1-Month-Old Daughter and Neglecting Body for 3 Years"

A woman in her 40s who gave her one-month-old daughter sleeping pills, killed her, and left the body unattended for three years was sentenced to six years in prison in the appellate court. The photo is unrelated to the content.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A woman in her 40s who caused the death of her one-month-old daughter by giving her a sleep-inducing drug and then left the body unattended for three years was sentenced to six years in prison in the appellate court.

On the 31st, the Criminal Division 2 of Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Kyengran) overturned the original sentence of five years imprisonment for A (44), who was charged with murder and abandonment of a corpse, and sentenced her to six years in prison.

In early May 2017, A killed her one-month-old daughter at their home in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province by feeding her formula mixed with a sleep-inducing drug. Afterwards, to conceal the crime, she placed the child in a plastic bag, put it in a box, and left it in the boiler room of the house for three years.

The police began an investigation last August after receiving a request from the local district office, which found it suspicious that the child, although registered at birth, had no medical records or history of receiving childcare subsidies, and arrested A.

The court stated, "Considering that the defendant did not report the birth, the circumstances that made it difficult to obtain the biological father's consent despite looking into adoption, and the fact that the drug administered to the victim could have reasonably led to death, the claim that there was no intent to kill cannot be accepted."

It continued, "While it is acknowledged that A was under stress and burden from having to care for the baby alone at the time, as well as difficulties related to her relationship with her cohabiting partner, the fact that she did not protect the baby and caused her death, and then stored the baby in an abnormal manner for a considerable period after killing her, leads us to judge that the original sentence was inappropriate," explaining the reason for the sentencing.