Man kills wife: Teenage daughter asks court to be lenient, ‘I know my father has made a mistake, but…’

A teenage girl from China has written to a court asking for leniency for her father. The man killed his wife, the mother of his two children, by electrocution while she was taking a shower.

The case has sparked a wide debate on China’s social media after a Hebei court publicly released its judgment in early November. The 36-year-old man, Yang, was sentenced to life in prison for the March 2023 killing of his wife, Yin.

The couple married in 2010. After four years, the situation worsened. They had bitter fights. Between 2014 and 2017, they got divorced but later reconciled. Nevertheless, the remarriage did not go well.

According to Yang, constant conflicts with his wife Yin pushed him to a breaking point. She reportedly did not get along with his mother. He also suspected she was having an affair.

Their arguments became so intense that Yang once went to a hospital to check his mental state. During the consultation, the doctor phoned Yin and asked her to give him emotional support. However, she mocked him later.

“If you really want to die, find a quiet corner to die,” the woman sarcastically told her husband.

Yang claimed this triggered his plan to kill her. In March 2023, he electrified a metal tube on the water heater while Yin was showering.

After she died, he placed her body on their bed and surrendered the next morning. His parents now care for the two children, a teenage daughter and a two-year-old son.

The Hebei court ruled that the murder was intentional. Prosecutors proposed a suspended death sentence. However, the court chose a lighter punishment to show “the warmth of the judicial authorities”.

Daughter writes to court

Yang’s 14-year-old daughter wrote to the court asking for leniency.

“I know my father has made a mistake. But, he has always been a kind-hearted person, and he performs well at home. I hope he can come back home to help with me and my brother’s growth,” the South China Morning Post quoted her as saying.

The court then decided to give him a lighter sentence. Yang was awarded life in prison instead of a death sentence.

“After Yang finishes serving the jail sentence, the two children will probably have grown up and set up their own families. But, this life sentence at least could give them some mental comfort during their long-time waiting for their father,” the court said.