22-Year Prison Sentence Finalized for Father Who Beat 14-Year-Old Daughter to Death With Hammer

A 40-year-old father, who beat his teenage biological daughter to death with a blunt weapon following an argument, has had his 22-year prison sentence finalized.

The Supreme Court's Third Division recently finalized the lower court's ruling against the defendant, identified as A, who was indicted on charges of child abuse murder.

A was prosecuted and detained for allegedly punching, kicking, and striking his 14-year-old daughter, B, on the head dozens of times with a blunt weapon at their home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on October 19 of last year.

According to the investigation, A and his daughter had lived apart for 10 years due to financial and other issues before starting to live together in 2022. A became enraged and committed the crime following an argument that broke out because B attempted to hug her 3-year-old sibling despite her parents' warnings.

The first trial sentenced A to 18 years in prison and issued a seven-year employment restriction at child-related institutions.

The second trial accepted the prosecution's appeal that the sentence was too lenient, sentencing him to 22 years in prison.

The appellate court pointed out, "Even though the child tried to protect her head with her hands to defend herself, the method of the crime was extremely brutal, as he struck the back of her head more than 25 times until the wooden handle of the iron hammer broke."

The second trial also dismissed the first court's partial recognition of the crime being impulsive, stating, "Even assuming the crime was not planned in advance, the gravity of such a brutal crime cannot be mitigated."

It further stated, "Even if there was a need for disciplinary action, the issue should have been resolved through appropriate methods such as conversation and persuasion, so it cannot be a reason for sentence reduction."

A appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal.

(Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video edited by Chang Yu-jin | Designed by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.