Beijing villagers seek leniency for wife who strangled sick husband
More than a hundred villagers have asked a Beijing court to show leniency to an elderly woman who strangled her incapacitated husband after caring for him for 15 years, the Beijing Times reports.
The woman, who is in her 60s, stood trial on Friday for killing her husband in March last year. A stroke had left him in a vegetative state and the accused told the court she wanted to ease the financial burden on their children, who had spent most of their savings on his medication.
She planned to kill herself right afterwards and cut her wrists, but the pain overwhelmed her and she called her daughter for help.
Villagers said the woman, who suffered from a herniated disc and high blood pressure, had done all she could to look after her husband. She turned him over about every two hours so he would not develop bedsores, and he never did.
Prosecutors also called for leniency for the woman. Although the charge of intentional homicide was serious, they recommended a sentence of less than 10 years. Defence lawyers said they hoped the court would find her not guilty or give her a suspended jail term.
The court will deliver its verdict at a later date.
