Mother Who Lost Daughter to Dating Violence Holds Solo Protest ... "Punish as Murder to Prevent More Victims"

"My daughter was beaten to death, but the perpetrator is not being charged with murder. I feel wronged."

The bereaved family of the victim in the so-called "Geoje Dating Violence Death Case" has begun a one-person protest, demanding that the charge against the perpetrator be changed from "causing death by bodily injury" to "murder" as stated in the indictment.

On the 17th, the victim's mother, Ms. A, stood in front of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeongnam, holding a sign.

Her hope is to set a precedent where a perpetrator who causes death through dating violence is punished for murder, so that there will be no second or third victims, and that no one else will have to endure the same pain as her family.

The bereaved family of the victim in the so-called 'Geoje Dating Violence Death Case' is holding a one-person protest in front of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office, demanding that the perpetrator's charge in the indictment be changed from 'injury resulting in death' to 'murder.' Provided by the bereaved family of the Geoje Dating Violence Death Case

Ms. A's daughter, Ms. B, who was in her twenties, was strangled and beaten on her head and face by her ex-boyfriend, Mr. C, who broke into her studio apartment around 8 a.m. on April 1 last year.

Ms. B, who was assaulted while sleeping, was diagnosed with traumatic subdural hemorrhage and other injuries requiring six weeks of treatment. She died ten days later from multiple organ failure due to sepsis while hospitalized.

It was revealed that Mr. C, who began dating his high school classmate Ms. B in April 2022, repeatedly committed acts of violence. Even after breaking up with Ms. B just before the incident, he called her 14 times and, when she did not answer, went to her residence.

Prosecutors determined, based on the National Forensic Service autopsy and the attending physician's medical opinion, that the victim died from systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by head trauma, establishing causality between the assault and death.

The first trial court sentenced Mr. C, in his twenties, who was indicted on charges of causing death by bodily injury, excessive approach behavior (stalking), and trespassing, to 12 years in prison and ordered him to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.

Both the prosecutor, who had requested a 20-year sentence, and Mr. C's side have appealed the first trial verdict, and the appellate trial is ongoing.

The bereaved family has requested that the prosecutor change the charge from causing death by bodily injury to murder, from the very first trial to the present.

Although they have held several press conferences and requested meetings, the indictment has not yet been amended.

The family is now asking that, if the main charge cannot be changed, at least murder be included as an alternative charge in the indictment.

They argue that a man with a strong build?180 cm tall and weighing 72 kg?unilaterally assaulted a sleeping woman on the face and head, repeatedly strangled her until she lost consciousness, and released his grip only after she blacked out, which clearly demonstrates intent to kill.

Ms. A said, "It seems that neither the court nor the prosecution is listening to us," adding, "I hope that by doing this, our voices will finally be heard."

The next hearing in the appellate trial is scheduled to take place on April 2 at the Changwon branch of the Busan High Court.