South Korean sergeant neglected bedridden wife for months until maggots covered her body & she died

A South Korean military court has sentenced an army staff sergeant to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of murdering his wife by neglecting her for months until her body was covered in maggots.

The verdict, revealed this week, came after a trial that heard harrowing testimony from medical professionals who treated the woman when she was finally brought to a hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi, in November last year.

Left bedridden for months

According to Korea JoongAng Daily, the woman, who was in her 30s, became bedridden in August last year after developing panic disorder and depression. For more than three months, her husband allegedly provided no medical care or protection, with the woman surviving largely on snacks, bread, and juice.

She developed bedsores, which were left untreated and progressed into necrosis, eventually killing her.

The sergeant only sought help on Nov. 17, when he called emergency services to say his wife was going in and out of consciousness, per Korea JoongAng Daily.

Responders found her seated on a chair, her body covered in filth.

An emergency responder who spoke to the SBS programme Unanswered Questions described the scene:

"Her entire body was contaminated with feces, and tens of thousands of maggots were spread all over her body."

She went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died of sepsis the following day.

Doctors describe what they found

The attending physician told the court the scene was unlike anything he had encountered in his career.

He said:

"There were so many maggots that we tried to wash them away with saline before moving her to a ward. But no matter how much we cleaned, they kept appearing. We couldn't remove them all, so we had to wrap her in bandages on the spot."

The doctor also contradicted the sergeant's claim that he had failed to notice the state of his wife's body because air fresheners in their home had masked the smell.

He explained:

"The treatment room was filled with the stench of a decaying body. The smell clung to her clothes and her entire body."

A forensic pathologist from the National Forensic Service told the court it was only the second time in 15 years he had seen maggots on a living person.

Sergeant denied charges

When pressed by prosecutors on whether he had detected any unusual smells at home, the sergeant said he had noticed only "a smell like stagnant water." He denied the charges throughout, claiming he was unaware of his wife's critical condition and that she had not wished to receive treatment.

The court rejected his account. In its ruling, it found that the neglect had gone on long enough that her death was entirely foreseeable, and concluded there had been intent to kill.

The court also noted that he had continued to make implausible excuses and showed no remorse.

Although the sergeant reportedly broke down in tears on the hospital floor when his wife was admitted, the attending doctor told the court he questioned the sincerity of the reaction.

Family confronted him in court

During the trial, the bereaved family attempted to rush toward the sergeant after growing frustrated by his demeanour. They were restrained by court officers.

The family said:

"We felt so wronged because he never once showed any sign of remorse or regret, so we couldn't help but attempt to confront him."

Prosecutors want harsher sentence

The military prosecutor's office has since announced its intention to appeal, saying:

"A harsher sentence should have been imposed."