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Fukuoka Lay-Judge Trial Opens in 2018 Infant Death as Mother Pleads Not Guilty

The case centers on whether skull fractures and a subdural hematoma reflect abusive head trauma or an accidental fall linked to the defendant’s epilepsy.

Overview

  • Prosecutors told the court the infant suffered skull fractures, multiple bruises and subdural bleeding that they say are inconsistent with a household fall.
  • Opening statements for the defense cited the mother’s long-standing epilepsy and suggested a seizure and possible medication non‑adherence could explain an accidental drop.
  • According to the indictment, the mother called 119 on July 28, 2018, the child was taken to hospital unconscious, and she died three days later; the father was away at the time.
  • Police arrested the defendant in February 2022 after more than three years of investigation, and roughly three years eight months elapsed between indictment and the first hearing.
  • The saiban-in trial is scheduled over 19 sessions with testimony from relatives, epilepsy specialists and pathologists, and a verdict planned for March 3, 2026.