'Mommy, I'm scared, please slow down': Prosecutors seek 17 years for drunk driver who killed motorcyclist with children in car

Prosecutors have sought a heavy prison sentence for a woman in her 30s who killed a motorcyclist while driving drunk at extreme speed with her two young daughters in the car.

At the appeal hearing Wednesday at Daejeon District Court's First Criminal Division, presided over by Chief Judge Kang Gil-yeon, prosecutors asked the court to sentence A, 38, to 17 years in prison, Yonhap reported. She faces charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (fatal hit-and-run) and violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abuse).

A is accused of striking a motorcycle and killing its rider, B, 28, at around 9:19 p.m. on Jan. 4 on a road in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, while driving at 178 kilometers per hour with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.211 percent — well above the threshold for license revocation.

She is also accused of fleeing the scene without rendering aid or taking any other necessary measures to help the victim.

A's two daughters, aged 4 and 6, were in the vehicle as she drove recklessly, running a red light at roughly 118 kilometers per hour above the speed limit.

Dashcam footage made public by media captured the girls' voices pleading with their mother: "I'm scared. Mommy, please slow down."

After the crash, A reportedly complained to witnesses, saying her children had been frightened by the incident.

Prosecutors charged her with child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, arguing that her reckless driving and the resulting fatal crash caused emotional trauma to her daughters.

The trial court found her guilty on all counts and sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

The victim's family attended Wednesday's hearing and urged the court to impose a severe punishment.

B's father testified from the witness stand, asking the court to "look carefully at the children's reactions in the dashcam footage" and asserting that "this was probably not the defendant's first time driving drunk and recklessly." He added: "I lost my only son, and I cannot reach a settlement."

B's mother also addressed the defendant and her attorney, asking: "Have you ever offered a single sincere apology?"

A's defense team appealed for leniency, arguing the original sentence was too harsh.

Her attorney said the factual dispute raised at trial "was not because the defendant lacked a sense of responsibility, but because she was so intoxicated that she had no memory of what happened and the matter was handled at counsel's discretion." The attorney also argued that A had stopped about 100 meters past the crash site due to her speed before returning to the scene, and that she had no intention of fleeing.

The defense also said A had made efforts to reach a settlement with the victim's family.

A told the court: "This is the most shameful and embarrassing moment of my life. I will spend the rest of my life in repentance for the person who died." She added: "My actions were grave, but I ask for leniency with the possibility of rehabilitation in mind. I am deeply sorry to the victim's family and pray for the repose of the deceased."

A did not acknowledge the offenses until the appeal proceedings.

At the appeal hearing on Aug. 26, her attorney said that while A "had partially denied the charges at trial, she now accepts responsibility," Yonhap reported at the time.

A confirmed she shared her attorney's position.

At trial, A had denied the hit-and-run and failure-to-render-aid charges, claiming she "was so drunk she did not know the victim had died and had not left the scene and had no intention of fleeing." The trial court rejected those claims and found her guilty on all counts.

The trial court sentenced her to 12 years, stating that she "not only failed to take any necessary measures while the victim was still alive, but shifted responsibility onto others before fleeing when she spotted a police car arriving at the scene."

On the child abuse charge, the court said that despite being the person responsible for protecting and supervising her children, she "subjected her two children to drunk and reckless driving for a considerable period of time and caused a fatal accident, inflicting significant harm on the mental health and development of the child victims."

B's father, who was given an opportunity to speak in court that day, said: "She denied the charges and now says she accepts them — this is a mockery of the police, prosecutors and the entire trial court. I have never received a single sincere apology. I cannot settle."