Despite Last-Minute Pleas of "I'm Sorry," Coldly Rejected... Dies in State of Malnutrition
The stepmother of a 12-year-old elementary school student who died covered in bruises was found to have abused her stepson due to the stress of miscarrying a fetus in her womb, ultimately leading to his death. Despite the harsh abuse, the stepmother coldly pushed her stepson, who was pleading and apologizing, causing his death.
According to the indictment submitted by the prosecution to Rep. Itanhee of the Democratic Party on the 23rd, the stepmother A (43), who was arrested and indicted on charges including child abuse and murder, first abused her stepson B (12) on March 9 of last year.
Stepmother A and biological father B, accused of abusing and causing the death of their 12-year-old elementary school son, are entering the Incheon District Court on the morning of the 10th to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). [Photo by Yonhap News]
At that time, A hit B's calves about 10 times with a drumstick, accusing him of stealing money. A, who was pregnant, miscarried a month later, and from then on, she began to pour all her resentment onto B.
A believed that her miscarriage was caused by the stress of B not listening to her well. B’s biological father C (40) also thought that their son was the cause of frequent marital quarrels with A and joined in the abuse.
The prosecution noted that A’s resentment toward B turned into a "feeling of hatred to the point of wanting to kill him" after the miscarriage.
A’s corporal punishment became increasingly severe. Punishments that initially involved kneeling in the room for an hour for breaking promises extended to five hours, and the intensity increased by making B face the wall with his hands raised.
Meanwhile, the frequency of abuse, which was once one to two times a month, sharply increased to seven times in November last year. The stepmother also subjected B to harsh acts such as making him copy the Bible, claiming it was good for improving concentration, starting from March 2021 when B was in the third grade of elementary school.
From September last year, B was forced to wake up at 6 a.m. every day and copy the Bible into a notebook for two hours. If he failed to finish within the time, he was effectively confined to his room. There was even a day when B knelt facing the wall for five hours while copying the Bible.
A hit B’s entire body with aluminum rods or plastic hangers. She also verbally abused him with phrases like "You’re so desperate to die kneeling down" and "You will never leave this room for your whole life."
When B could no longer endure and came out of the room, he was locked back in, his eyes covered with clothes, and his hands and feet tied to a chair with curtain cords. B was tied in this position for 16 hours starting two days before his death. During this time, A monitored B with a 'home cam' similar to a CCTV outside the room.
B’s body, repeatedly abused over a year, was covered with injuries. His weight, which was 38 kg in December 2021 when he was 10 years old, dropped to 29.5 kg on the day of his death on February 7. Although he was 5 cm taller than the average for his age, his weight was 15 kg less than the average.
About ten days before his death, his skin became necrotic and he suffered burns on his lips and inside his mouth, but he did not receive treatment. Due to accumulated abuse, B could not eat properly and groaned in pain, unable to sleep, and in his final moments, he grabbed his stepmother’s arm to survive.
On the day of his death, around 1 p.m., B apologized while holding the arm of his stepmother, who was lying on the master bedroom bed. However, A coldly pushed B’s chest with both hands. B, who fell backward in a state of malnutrition and hit his head on the floor, never regained consciousness afterward.
The first trial for A and her husband will be held on the 13th of next month at 9 a.m. in courtroom 324 of the Incheon District Court.
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