Hungarian child protection’s controversial decision on who can raise murdered Japanese mother Megumi’s children

David A. was born in the United States and took on Irish citizenship through his mother. On 29 January, he ended the life of his former wife, the Japanese mother of two, Megumi A., in her downtown Budapest apartment. After this dreadful act, their two children were left practically orphaned, but now, according to information from Blikk, the Hungarian child protection authorities have decided who will raise them.

A nightmare in the heart of Budapest

Many found it surprising that the Hungarian guardianship authorities entrusted the care of the orphaned siblings to the brother of their killer. The father is likely to be imprisoned for a long time as the police firmly believe he murdered Megumi at their home in Budapest’s 5th district, where they had been married for nearly ten years.

The incident occurred on 29 January and caused immense outrage in Hungary because the police initially believed the perpetrator’s story that he had come home to find his ex-wife’s flat on fire. The man showed no hesitation in claiming he was even injured while trying to save his former wife.

The Irish-American father and the two kids in front of the Roman Catholic basilica in Esztergom:

No one believed the Japanese mother

Friends of the Japanese mother in Budapest pointed out that she did not smoke, especially not in bed, making it unlikely that she would have set fire to her own flat. The investigation revealed that the ex-husband returned to the flat fully covered up after taking their daughter swimming, killed his ex-wife, and then attempted to set the flat alight.

The police released video footage that can be viewed below:

The case attracted national attention in January and February, after it became clear that the woman had repeatedly reported to the police in the 5th district that she feared her husband, making several complaints that were ignored. Adding to the controversy, the police chief’s Facebook page administrator at the time, who has since been removed, responded cynically to comments pointing out that the woman did not smoke at all, making the claim that she set herself on fire unbelievable.