"Did Not Step on Her"... What Is the Truth in Jeong-in's Foster Mother's Heart?

Foster mother Jang Mo, who is on trial in the appellate court for abusing 16-month-old adopted child Jeong-in to death [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] "The defendant denies the fact that he stepped on the victim with his foot."

The lawyer represented the defendant's position. The defendant, dressed in a green prison uniform, was looking straight ahead, facing the prosecution. His eyes appeared unfocused. The judge asked, "You admit that the victim died due to the defendant's actions, right?" The lawyer replied, "Yes, that is correct." This took place on the morning of the 23rd in courtroom 404 at the Seoul High Court. The defendant in question was Mr. Jangmo, who was arrested and indicted on charges of murder for abusing and causing the death of Jeong-in, a 16-month-old adopted child. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.

Mr. Jangmo also denied stepping on Jeong-in during the first trial. This was a denial of the prosecution's charges applying murder charges. The prosecution's related charges are as follows: "Between 9:01 AM and 10:15 AM on October 13, 2020, the defendant violently shook the victim's arms, causing dislocation of the left elbow, repeatedly struck the abdomen with his hand, causing the victim to fall to the floor, and then continued to strongly step on the abdomen, inflicting severe blunt force trauma that resulted in the pancreas being severed and the mesentery ruptured. As a result, the defendant killed the victim."

In the first trial, Mr. Jangmo argued against the prosecution's charges, stating, "I only shook the victim's arms, and the victim fell due to pain from sequelae of cardiac surgery. I performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during the process of transporting the victim to the hospital." His argument was that the pancreas being severed and the mesentery ruptured were caused by the fall and the impact of CPR, and that there was no intent to kill.

The appellate trial sentencing hearing for Jeong-in's adoptive parents, who were indicted on charges including abuse that led to the death of 16-month-old Jeong-in, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the 23rd at the Seoul Central District Court. At 9 a.m. that day, people searching for Jeong-in and related parties are holding a protest at the courthouse intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Daehyun @kdh

The first trial court regarded the possibility of Mr. Jangmo's claim as virtually zero. Based on medical papers indicating that a free fall from Mr. Jangmo's height of about 168 cm could not cause pancreatic injury, the court placed weight on the possibility that intentional blunt force was applied. Furthermore, if CPR had been performed, the liver?which is larger and closer to the heart than the pancreas or mesentery?should have been ruptured, but Jeong-in's liver was not ruptured, which the court noted. The court also considered the possibility that the first biological daughter, whom Mr. Jangmo did not even claim, might have stepped on Jeong-in's abdomen. However, it concluded that the older daughter, weighing only 14 kg, could not have caused pancreatic severance or mesenteric rupture by jumping off a 40 cm sofa.

Mr. Jangmo submitted an appeal, arguing that the first trial court's judgment was a factual error. Accordingly, the appeal trial focused primarily on whether Mr. Jangmo stepped on Jeong-in with his foot. Since Mr. Jangmo admitted the preliminary charge that Jeong-in died due to his actions, it is expected that there will be no dispute over the charge of child abuse resulting in death. In the previous first trial, Mr. Jangmo also denied the charge of child abuse resulting in death.

The truth in Mr. Jangmo's heart will be revealed during the appeal trial process. The appellate court will determine whether he truly did not step on Jeong-in or if he is claiming so to avoid the murder charge. For now, Mr. Jangmo did not present any new arguments to overturn the first trial's judgment at the first appeal trial. He also did not request any witnesses. However, the possibility of requesting witnesses later remains open. Mr. Jangmo's second trial will be held on the 13th of next month.