Stepfather Who Sexually Assaulted and Murdered 20-Month-Old Stepdaughter Sent "Unfilial Texts" to Mother-in-Law

Some of the text messages sent by A (29), who is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his 20-month-old daughter, to his mother-in-law two weeks after the crime. / Photo by Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A stepfather who was arrested and indicted on charges of sexually assaulting and murdering his 20-month-old stepdaughter shocked the public by sending even disrespectful messages to his mother-in-law, who was curious about the whereabouts of his granddaughter and daughter.

The Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association disclosed part of the text messages exchanged between the stepfather Yang (29) and his mother-in-law on June 13 through its official cafe on the 29th.

These messages were exchanged two weeks after Yang committed the crime, and it appears that the mother-in-law contacted Yang after previously being unable to reach her daughter.

In the revealed messages, the mother-in-law first asks, "I really don't understand. What do you mean by saying you will visit when things get better?" She then admonishes Yang, saying, "Parents don't visit only when things are good; they visit even when things are bad, when they are sick, sad, or happy."

However, Yang abruptly says, "I want to ... with you, mother-in-law." When the mother-in-law asks, "What do you mean?" Yang explicitly repeats obscene words.

The mother-in-law says, "Do you think I am the only one reading the messages you sent?" and asks, "Why are you preventing me from seeing (your wife and daughter)?" Yang replies, "I will share (the wife and daughter's status) with you, mother-in-law."

The association that released the messages stated, "The texts were sent by Yang to his mother-in-law, who was worried because she could not contact her daughter and granddaughter two weeks after Yang habitually abused, raped, and murdered the 20-month-old baby." They urged the public to submit petitions to the court to permanently isolate such a heinous fiend from society and to agree to disclose his identity for the public's right to know and to protect themselves from such a disgraceful fiend.

A man in his 20s, stepfather Yang Mo, who is accused of abusing and causing the death of a 20-month-old girl, is seen leaving Dunsan Police Station in Seo-gu, Daejeon on the 14th of last month.
Photo by Yonhap News

According to reports on the 29th, the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Yoo Seokcheol) is hearing the case of Yang, who is charged with child abuse murder and violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (rape of a minor under 13), and the biological mother Jeong (25), who is charged with concealment of a corpse. Following the first trial on the 27th, the prosecution's sentencing is scheduled for October.

Yang is accused of abusing and causing the death of his 20-month-old stepdaughter A by covering her with four blankets and beating and stepping on her for about an hour while intoxicated in the early morning of June 15. Yang committed the crime because A would not fall asleep.

After A's death, Yang and Jeong placed the body in an icebox and left it in the bathroom inside the house. When the mother-in-law tried to report to the police, Yang immediately fled but was caught three days later at a motel in Jung-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon.

It was also confirmed that Yang raped A two days before her death, on June 13. Furthermore, although Yang believed he was A's biological father, DNA tests conducted by the police revealed that he was not.

Yang and Jeong are reported to have admitted most of the charges and the prosecution's evidence.

Meanwhile, on social media and online communities related to this case, voices demanding severe punishment for Yang and Jeong are pouring in, with comments such as "This is something no human could do" and "How could someone do such a thing to a newborn baby girl?"

On the 27th, a petition titled "We want the identity of the defendant in the child abuse case who brutally abused, sexually assaulted, and murdered a 20-month-old girl to be disclosed" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 8:35 a.m. on the 30th, the petition had garnered about 84,000 supporters.