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| ▲ The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
newborn murders-charges
Charges against suspect in newborns' deaths changed from infanticide to murder
SUWON, South Korea, June 29 (Yonhap) -- A mother arrested for killing her two newborn babies and storing their bodies in a home refrigerator is expected to receive a heavier punishment than expected, as police decided Thursday to apply murder charges to her instead of infanticide charges.
The woman in her 30s was apprehended about a week ago for strangling her two babies to death shortly after their births in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and keeping their bodies in a fridge in her apartment in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. A court issued an arrest warrant for her on charges of infanticide last Friday.
But the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said charges against the woman have been changed to murder, which can be punished much more severely than infanticide.
The Criminal Act stipulates a prison term of up to 10 years for those convicted of infanticide, and the death penalty, life sentence or an imprisonment of at least five years for those convicted of murder.
Police also said they have booked the woman's husband on charges of being an accessory to her murders, changing his status from witness to suspect.
The woman admitted to killing the infants due to economic hardships while raising three children but told police she had lied to her husband, telling him she had two abortions.
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