Child abuse homicide charges applied after suspect denies murder intent

A man in his 40s, identified only as A, leaves Yongin Eastern Police Station in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday to board a transport vehicle for his pretrial detention hearing. He is accused of beating his 2-month-old daughter to death because she would not sleep. [Yonhap]
A man in his 40s, identified only as A, leaves Yongin Eastern Police Station in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday to board a transport vehicle for his pretrial detention hearing. He is accused of beating his 2-month-old daughter to death because she would not sleep. [Yonhap]

A man in his 40s was detained Wednesday after allegedly beating his 2-month-old daughter to death because she would not stop crying and go to sleep.

Judge Kim Hong-seop of Suwon District Court, who oversees warrant reviews, issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified only as A, after conducting a pretrial detention hearing on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes — specifically child abuse resulting in death.

Judge Kim cited a risk of flight and evidence destruction as grounds for issuing the warrant.

A left the detention cell at Yongin Eastern Police Station around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to attend the hearing, responding to a series of questions — including "Did you hit the child because she wouldn't sleep?" and "Why did you delete the home camera footage?" — with repeated apologies.

A is accused of striking his daughter, identified as B, multiple times in the face with his hand in the early hours of Sunday at the family's home in Seodong, Osan, Gyeonggi Province, killing her.

He was caring for B alone when the infant continued to fuss and would not sleep, prompting him to carry out the attack in a fit of irritation.

Police discovered bruising and other external injuries on B's body and detected signs that A had remotely deleted home camera footage from inside the residence via his mobile phone immediately after she was pronounced dead, and arrested him on suspicion of murder.

However, A denied any intent to kill during subsequent police questioning, leading investigators to apply the lesser charge of child abuse resulting in death — the offense for which they could demonstrate sufficient evidence — when seeking the warrant.

With A now in custody, police said they plan to continue investigating the full circumstances of the case.


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