Man in His 40s Faces 10-Year Sentence for Beating 11-Year-Old Son to Death Under the Guise of Discipline

"Defendant Weighs 100 kg... Assault Was Extremely Violent"

Prosecutors have requested a heavy sentence for a man in his 40s who beat his elementary school-aged son to death with a baseball bat.

Court. Photo by Moon Honam.

On April 22, during the final hearing at the Incheon District Court's Criminal Division 12 (presided over by Chief Judge Choi Younggak), prosecutors sought a 10-year prison sentence for Mr. A, a man in his 40s who was indicted and detained on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.

The prosecution stated, "The defendant assaulted his son indiscriminately with a baseball bat," explaining, "Although he claimed he only intended to hit the child's buttocks, he actually struck the child's entire body except for the head without discrimination." They further explained, "Given the defendant's height of 180 cm and weight of 100 kg, the physical damage to the victim was severe, and the intensity of the assault was high." They also noted, "After the assault, the victim's health deteriorated to the point where he could not walk on his own, which shows the defendant's crime is extremely grave."

The prosecution continued, "The defendant lost control and mercilessly assaulted his son at the time of the crime, but during the prosecution's investigation, he claimed he was in a rational state when he hit his son, making statements that contradicted his actions." They added, "Although the defendant's crime is serious, we have taken into account that the bereaved family does not wish for punishment."

In his final argument, Mr. A's attorney claimed, "The victim was a good child, but as his lies became repetitive, the parents felt responsible to discipline him." He continued, "However, the son tried to dodge, and each time the angry defendant caught him, he struck him, resulting in 20 to 30 instances of assault."

The attorney further argued, "The defendant, who was a baseball player in high school, tried to avoid dangerous areas when hitting the child and never imagined that the children could die." He pleaded for leniency, saying, "Please allow him to take responsibility for raising his two young daughters."

Mr. A stated, "As a parent, I felt it was my duty to correct my child's wrongdoings, and that led me to this point." He added, "Please allow me to live the rest of my life for my two daughters and family, who are now facing difficulties."

Mr. A was indicted for beating his 11-year-old son, a fifth grader, to death with a baseball bat at their apartment in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, on January 16. The following dawn, he personally called 119, saying, "My son is not breathing." B was taken to a general hospital by paramedics with bruises all over his body but died of traumatic shock.

C, a woman in her 30s who is Mr. A's wife and the deceased child's mother, was also investigated by police on suspicion of aiding and abetting child abuse resulting in death, but was recently referred to the prosecution with no charges. She had taken her two daughters to her sibling's house before the crime occurred, and upon returning home, she learned belatedly that her husband had assaulted their son, but believed his condition was not serious and went to sleep, according to the investigation.

Appearing in court that day, C pleaded, "I do not want my husband to be punished." She tearfully said, "Our two remaining daughters do not know what has happened. Even last night, our youngest saw a scene on TV of a father hugging a child and said, 'I miss Dad.'"