A 29-year-old father in Federal Way has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly beating his 5-year-old daughter to death inside their apartment. Woo Jin Hahn is being held at King County Jail, and his bail has been set at $5 million, according to police and court records.
Officers from the Federal Way Police Department responded to a 911 call around 1 p.m. on May 30, reporting an unresponsive child at an apartment on Southwest Campus Way. The responding officers found the girl covered in bruises. Hahn allegedly told them that he had inflicted the injuries while disciplining her the night before.
Child Was Restrained and Repeatedly Beaten
According to the arrest report, the incident began when the child knocked over a potty, prompting Hahn to “snap” and punch her repeatedly in the stomach, using what he described as “all of his force.” He then tied her feet to the toilet and used ropes to bind her arms to a pull-up bar, leaving her restrained for about three hours.
Later, when Hahn attempted to give her dinner, the girl either refused food or gagged, which allegedly caused him to become angry again. He then used a metal thermos-style cup to hit her multiple times on the hands and arms.
Hahn and the girl lived in the apartment with his girlfriend and other children. According to the report, the woman left for work around 3 a.m., roughly ten hours before the girl was found unresponsive. Hahn told investigators he was the only adult present at the time of the incident.
Previous Abuse Allegations and CPS Involvement
Court records show that Hahn has no prior criminal convictions. However, in May 2024, his girlfriend filed for a domestic violence protection order, citing repeated physical and verbal abuse of herself and the children.
In her petition, she wrote: “Woo’s anger is out of control… he continues to use a bamboo stick to hit the children and threaten them.” She also noted prior involvement from Child Protective Services (CPS). The petition was dismissed less than three weeks later after she did not appear at the court hearing.
Following the girl’s death, other children in the home were interviewed. According to Senior Deputy King County Prosecuting Attorney Brandy Gevers, at least one child described being physically assaulted by Hahn.
The case was first reported by KOMO News, which reviewed the police arrest report and court documents related to the investigation.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
