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Alice Yan

A 14-year-old girl in northern China has written to a court begging it to be lenient with her father who electrocuted her mother to death while she was taking a shower.
The case has sparked a heated discussion on mainland social media after the judgment made by a court in Hebei province was released to the public in early November.
The man, surnamed Yang, 36, was sentenced to life in jail for killing his wife, Yin, by electrocution in March 2023, Red Star News reported.
The couple married in 2010 but during the period from 2014 to 2017 they divorced and both of them remarried. The couple have a daughter and a son, who are 14 and two years old respectively.

Yang said he had serious conflicts with Yin because she got along badly with his mother and he suspected she had an affair.
Things got so bad he once went to hospital to check his mental condition.
During the consultation, the doctor called Yin and asked her to give Yang “family warmth”.
However, after Yang returned home, Yin mocked him and even told him “if you really want to die, find a quiet corner to die”.
Yang said it was at that moment he developed the idea of killing Yin.
In March 2023, while Yin was in the shower, she was killed by Yang who electrified a stainless steel tube on the water heater.

Yang put her dead body on the bed in their bedroom and turned himself in to the police the next morning.
He told officers that on his way to the police station, he called his cousin, asking her to adopt his son. Yang later asked a friend to raise his daughter.
His two children have been taken care of by Yang’s parents since the crime.
The Hebei court said Yang’s behaviour constituted the crime of intentional killing.
While prosecutors suggested a suspended death sentence for Yang, the court decided to issue a relatively lighter punishment to show “the warmth of the judicial authorities”.
Meanwhile, Yang’s daughter wrote to the court to plead 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,” she wrote.
The court then sentenced Yang to life in prison because of the situation with his children.

“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.
The court said it realised that the sentence would be opposed by Yin’s family, adding that it hoped they could understand their good intentions.
The story attracted much interest on mainland social media.
“I do not side with the court. He did kill someone. He should be executed,” one online observer said.
“Why were they still married if they did not get along well with each other? I feel for their poor children,” said another.


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Chinese daughter writes to court pleading leniency for dad who electrocuted mum in shower

A man in China electrocuted his wife while she was showering after a heated argument. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock 

After years of fighting with his wife, Yang hatched a plan to kill her while she was in the shower. Photo: Shutterstock 

Yang electrified a steel tube on the water heater in the bathroom to effect his deadly plan. Photo: Shutterstock

After taking his daughter’s plea for leniency into account, the court sentenced Yang to life imprisonment. Photo: AP

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Father of two who warred with wife for years then snapped and killed her gets life sentence from ‘warm’ judicial authorities


Father of two who warred with wife for years then snapped and killed her gets life sentence from ‘warm’ judicial authorities.


Crime in China

Chinese daughter writes to court pleading leniency for dad who electrocuted mum in shower

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Father of two who warred with wife for years then snapped and killed her gets life sentence from ‘warm’ judicial authorities

Father of two who warred with wife for years then snapped and killed her gets life sentence from ‘warm’ judicial authorities