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

A 40-year-old father has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for beating his teenage biological daughter to death with a blunt weapon following an argument.

The Supreme Court recently finalized the lower court ruling sentencing the man, identified as A, who was indicted on charges of child abuse murder.

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

Investigations revealed that A committed the crime in a fit of anger after getting into an argument with B. The victim had begun living with him in 2022 after they had spent 10 years apart due to financial difficulties, and the dispute broke out because she tried to hold her 3-year-old younger sibling despite her parents telling her not to.

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

The appellate court accepted the prosecutors' appeal that the sentence was too lenient and increased it to 22 years in prison.

The appellate court pointed out, "The method of the crime was extremely cruel, as he struck the back of her head more than 25 times with an iron hammer until the handle broke, even while the child was trying to protect her head with her hands for minimal self-defense."

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

It added, "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 mitigation."

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

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