Netizen outrage over woman sentenced to 15 years of jail for violent murder of step daughter

Article: 'Step daughter child abuse'... netizen rage explodes over light sentence

Source: Yonhap News via Naver

A woman beat her 8 year old step daughter to death and was sentenced to 15 years in jail. They began living together in 2009 and the abuse began in May 2011 when she beat the child for lying about stealing colored pencils at pre-school.

The following year, the child was hospitalized after being beat and fracturing her thigh bone for coming home late from an after school academy. In October of the same year, she blamed the child for a fight she got into with her husband and forced the child to strip down to pour hot water over her. The child suffered from second degree burns.

Finally, in 2013, the woman blamed the child for stealing $2.30 off the kitchen table and beat her to the point where 16 out of 24 bones from her rib cage were broken. The fractures stabbed her lungs and led to her death.

The step mother's lawyers claimed that she had no intention of murder and she was eventually sentenced to a mere 15 years in jail. Netizens are petitioning online and offline for a death sentence.

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1. [+3,875, -204] At this point, the president needs to step in.

2. [+3,119, -27] Whether it was murder or a bodily injury that caused her death, a life has been lost... a life that had so many bright years ahead of her. No person deserves to live like nothing had happened after only 10 years of jail.

3. [+2,615, -35] While other children live within the love of their parents, that young child had to endure so much violence with no where to turn to. The pain, just imagining the pain brings tears to my eyes. ㅠㅠ It's not only the step mother and the father who must be brought to justice but the school teachers, police, and everyone who did nothing while a life was lost. Anyone who dares assault a defenseless child must be alienated from society.

4. [+2,456, -61] Our country has no law. I'm sure even the judges have children themselves... I want to sue the judges.

5. [+2,214, -13] I highly question the judges at this point. It's not how many times the child was assaulted, it's the fact alone that a defenseless child was beaten to the point of death.

6. [+494, -11] I bet the judge would've ruled for the death sentence if she had been his own child.

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Source: Nate

1. [+293, -4] Korea's laws...... are crazy. If a child was so violently beaten to death and the only punishment is a mere 15 years... then doesn't that just encourage others to kill whoever they want and claim they had been drunk for a weaker sentence? If I were that child's birth mother, I'd wait for her after 15 years, kill her, and serve 15 years myself.

2. [+251, -17] The law is so crazy. So she had no intention of murder? How in the world could any judge come to such a conclusion?

3. [+206, -4] What a fine country. 15 years? You're joking, right?

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