Adoptive father accused of brutal murder of Korean child

Adoptive father accused of brutal murder of Korean child

Posted on : Feb.21,2014 11:34 KSTModified on : Feb.21,2014 11:37 KST

Military veteran denying charge of first-degree murder in suspicious death of 3-year-old boy

By Jeon Jeong-yun, staff reporter

Hyun-su was born premature in 2010 at only 2.1kg. He was abandoned by his mother and adopted by an American family in Oct. 2013 under the new name, ‘Madoc Hyun-su O’Callaghan’. This 3-year-old toddler then died on Feb 3, only three months after he was adopted. A skull fracture is currently being pointed to as the cause of his death. His adoptive father, Brian Patrick O’Callaghan, 36, is a National Security Agency worker who specializes in Korea, and is facing charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in the death of his adopted son.

Media including the Washington Post reported that a man from Montgomery County, Maryland had been charged with the murder of his adopted 3-year-old son. Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Fenton called the case, “An absolutely horrific crime on an absolutely innocent young victim. Basically this child was beaten to death from head to toe.”

Fenton said that in Hyun-su’s autopsy, evidence was found of a skull fracture, brain swelling, and trauma elsewhere including the forehead.

Meanwhile, O’Callaghan strongly denied the charges. He said he helped give Hyun-su a shower on Jan. 31, during which he said the 3-year-old slipped in the bathtub, falling backward and hitting his shoulder. The following day, he fed Hyun-su breakfast and took him to a swimming pool. After coming back home, O’Callaghan said, he put the boy down for a nap, but when he went to check on him, the child had mucus coming from his nose and began vomiting and was unresponsive. He then took Hyun-su to an emergency room.

Staff at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington called police on Feb. 2 due to suspicions of child abuse. In addition, suspicions are also escalating because O’Callaghan didn’t call 911 for help, and that he cleaned the mark of mucus on Hyun-su’s bed sheet before taking him to the hospital.

O’Callaghan’s defense attorney Steve McCool said, “There was a full CT scan done of Madoc, and there were no skull fractures. When all the evidence is presented in this case, we’re all gonna know the truth, which is this was a terrible, terrible tragedy and not a crime.”

The defense attorney also said that O’Callaghan has the “unwavering support of his family”. When Hyun-su was brought to the hospital, O’Callaghan’s wife Jennifer was away on business in New Jersey, and only the couple’s biological 8-year-old son had remained at home.

O’Callaghan was identified by his attorney as an ex-Marine and combat veteran who received awards for his service in Iraq and Kosovo. He served between 1997 and 2004, with 9 months service in the Iraq War in 2003 where he received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his role in helping to free captured soldier Jessica Lynch from captivity.

According to the Hankyoreh’s own investigation, it was understood that Hyun-su was one of the 62 adoptees sent to abroad in 2013 through Holt Children’s Services. Holt responded cautiously to the news, saying, “There have been some inaccurate stories in the US media and there has not yet been any legal ruling. We don’t want to rush to a conclusion. We’ve been told by the US organizations that the autopsy results will only be available in March.”

Holt Children’s Services also said, “It might be possible for the investigators to misinterpret the Mongolian spot - which he had since birth - as a kind of wound. Also, Hyun-su has always suffered from hydrocephalus and cerebral atrophy, which means it’s possible that this wasn’t a homicide”.

They also emphasized that Mr. and Mrs. O’Callaghan had visited Seoul a total of three times before adopting Hyun-su and the couple were willing to accept Hyun-su’s language developmental disorder. Holt says that these acts are evidence of the couple’s affection for Hyun-su.

Translated by Lee Dong-ju, Researcher for Hankyoreh Media Strategy Institute

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