Parents face murder charges in 7-year-old son's death

A woman, left, accused of murdering her seven-year-old stepson after months of abuse and neglect, and her husband, right, are taken by police to the prosecutors’ office in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

The parents of a seven-year-old boy found dead with horrific injuries in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, are set to face murder charges.

The Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Police Station said Wednesday that it referred the case to the prosecution, recommending the couple be indicted on murder charges. They were taken to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office.

According to police, the death of Shin Won-young was caused by months of cruel treatment and physical assault at the hands of his stepmother, surnamed Kim, and neglect by his own biological father.

“The couple failed to take necessary measures, even though they both were aware of the high likelihood of the boy’s death,” a police officer said.

Police also said that the 38-year-old Kim admitted to killing the boy in order to lead a happy life with her husband without the burden of raising and supporting the child financially.

Kim is suspected of leaving the boy unattended in an unheated washroom after pouring cold water and chlorine bleach on him for wetting his pants on Feb. 1. He died the following day.

Police said the boy’s biological father, 38, failed to take any action to take care of his son even though he knew that the child might die.

After discovering the boy was found unconscious on the washroom floor, he put a blanket over the body. The couple left the body there for 10 days, then buried it on a mountain on Feb. 12.

The day after their son’s death, the couple attempted to cover up their crimes by exchanging text messages.

The father sent his wife a text message reading, “Is Won-young okay?” to which she replied, “He ate well and brushed his teeth.”

However, police launched an investigation following a report from the school where the boy was supposed to enroll.

Earlier in January, the couple notified elementary school authorities that they would postpone the boy’s enrollment for one year without providing a specific reason.

The couple conspired to cover up the crime by lying to police that they had sent the boy to their relative’s home in Gangwon Province, police said.

Kim initially told police that the boy went missing on Feb. 24, but later said that she intentionally left the child in a crowded place and returned home alone.

A police investigation showed that Kim had abused the boy by keeping him locked in the washroom for three months from November and providing him with only one meal a day. The boy’s sister, 10, who is staying at her grandmother’s home, also told police of the constant abuse allegedly perpetrated by Kim.

The father earns a monthly income of 5 million won and Kim spent 60 million won ($50,000) on purchasing online game items between August last month and earlier this month, police added.

Kim told police that she would accept due punishment for the crime. “I am sorry it is all my fault. I am sorry to Won-young’s sister,” she told reporters in front of the police station.