6-Year-Old Daughter Who Witnessed 'Stalking Murder' Talks About Mom After 6 Months

Bereaved Family Shares Update on Radio Broadcast
"The feelings I kept to myself are finally starting to break out"
"Please call Mom," they also told their aunt

In July, news emerged that a 6-year-old daughter who witnessed her mother being brutally murdered by a stalking criminal did not speak about her mother for over six months after the incident, only recently asking to "talk about mom." The bereaved family expressed their sorrow, saying the child had been silently enduring her pain alone.

The victim's appearance during their lifetime (left) and the bruised arm caused by the perpetrator's assault, as revealed by the bereaved family. [Photo source=Online community]

On the 29th, A, the cousin sister of the victim in the 'Incheon Stalking Incident' that occurred on July 17 last year at an apartment in Nonhyeon-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show.'

At the time, the perpetrator had been continuously stalking his ex-lover and was under a court-issued restraining order. However, he went to the victim's home and stabbed the victim in the chest and back with a weapon in the apartment hallway, killing her. Hearing the screams, the victim's mother came outside to stop the crime but was also attacked with the weapon, sustaining severe injuries to both hands. The victim's 6-year-old daughter, who was at home, heard the screams of her mother and maternal grandmother and is reported to be receiving psychological treatment due to the mental trauma.

When the host asked during the broadcast, "How is the child who witnessed the scene of the incident doing now?" A said, "At first, I was worried because she seemed unaffected, but as expected, she has recently started talking about the incident."

A said, "The adults were at least able to talk among family members, but the young child was holding it in," adding, "She wanted to talk a lot about her mother, but because she was worried about the adults' reactions, she couldn't speak and was holding it in, which has only now started to come out." She continued, "She avoided talking about her mother because she thought it would be painful, but from the child's perspective, not being able to talk about her mother must have been very hard."

She also shared, "Recently, the child told her aunt, 'Please call mom.'" She added, "The counseling center also said, 'She has only just started talking now.'"

Meanwhile, on the 18th, the 15th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court sentenced the accused, charged with murder in retaliation under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violation of the Stalking Crime Punishment Act, to 25 years in prison. The court also ordered the attachment of an electronic tracking device for 10 years after release and mandated 120 hours of stalking crime recidivism prevention lectures.

In response, the victim's family opposed the ruling, stating, "The defendant could come out into the world again and commit crimes against our niece (the victim's daughter). We cannot accept a verdict that ultimately failed to protect our niece."

The prosecution, deeming the sentence too light, filed an appeal against the ruling.