Woman gets 3 years in jail for starvation death of 10-month-old daughter

Japan Today -- Oct 16

A 24-year-old woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for parental neglect resulting in the starvation death of her 10-month-old daughter.

The Chiba District Court on Thursday convicted Risa Konishi of not feeding her daughter Suzuka enough while they lived in an apartment in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, from Jan 3 to 25, 2020, Fuji TV reported. She was also charged with failing to provide Suzuka with medical treatment.

During the trial, the court heard that Konishi’s husband, who had separated from his wife, placed an emergency call on Jan 25, 2020, and said: “My wife messaged me to say our child isn’t breathing.”

When paramedics arrived at the apartment, Suzuka was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. She was taken to hospital where she was confirmed dead. Although Suzuka had no visible signs of trauma on her body, doctors later determined that she had died from malnutrition and dehydration.

Konishi at the time was also living with her eldest daughter, 5, eldest son, 3. The two other children did not have any issues regarding their physical health.

Konishi has a history of psychiatric treatment and was admitted to a health care facility in Chiba Prefecture immediately after the incident. She was arrested after her discharge from the medical institution.

Oct 16 (ANNnewsCH) - 生後10カ月の娘を衰弱死させた罪に問われた母親に懲役3年の実刑判決です。  小西理紗被告(25)は去年1月、千葉県市原市の自宅アパートで生後10カ月の次女の紗花ちゃんに十分な食事などを与えず死なせた罪に問われています。