Man killed pregnant wife, court hears

BEIJING, March 20 -- A local man in Shanghai went on trial yesterday for killing his pregnant wife last year.

Shanghai No. 1 Prosecutors' Office said 30-year-old Chen Min stabbed his wife more than 30 times last August because he suspected the baby wasn't his. However a posthumous DNA test proved that the baby was Chen's.

The victim, identified as Xiao Ying from Jiangsu Province, was five months pregnant when she was killed, prosecutors said. During the trial, Chen admitted his suspicions were without foundation.

The office said Chen's immaturity had led to the tragedy. A report said he did not suffer from mental illness.

He was the fourth son of the family and was always looked after well by his parents and elder brothers. But he was extremely introverted, family members told prosecutors.

Chen got to know Xiao at his father's factory at the start of 2007 and they soon fell in love.

Chen said he hadn't planned to get married so quickly but Xiao became pregnant a month after they met. They were married in July last year.

Prosecutors said Xiao was an extrovert who liked making friends, and this angered Chen. He began to suspect the baby might not be his, prosecutors said, and this caused many arguments.

Chen tried to persuade Xiao to have an abortion but she refused.

On Aug. 19 last year she refused again and Chen flew into a rage. Prosecutors said he drew his knife and stabbed her first in the stomach and then repeatedly in the chest.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)