Shanghai man's death sentence upheld for wife's murder

A Shanghai court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of murdering his wife and attempting to hide her body in a freezer. This marks the final verdict in the case, following an appeal and review process.

The man, identified only by his surname Gao, committed the crime in March 2022 after struggling with mounting financial difficulties. According to prosecutors, Gao had accumulated significant debt from stock market losses and resorted to high-interest loans from online lenders and relatives to stay afloat.

The pressure reached a boiling point on that fateful day. In a fit of rage, Gao attacked his wife with a fruit knife, fatally stabbing her in the neck. He then attempted to cover up the crime by purchasing a white freezer online and using the victim's phone to send misleading messages to her family and colleagues.

However, his plans unraveled quickly. The next day, the delivery of the freezer coincided with his failed suicide attempts. Unable to move the body inside the freezer or end his own life, Gao succumbed to despair and contacted the police, falsely claiming a joint suicide pact. Upon arrest, he confessed to the murder.

The case went through two rounds of legal proceedings. In April, a lower court in Shanghai sentenced Gao to death. This verdict was then reviewed by the higher court, which ultimately upheld the original sentence on Wednesday.

In China, a death sentence made by lower courts has to be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for review. The sentence can only be carried out after it is approved by the top court.