Wife killer appeals death penalty in Shanghai

A man in Shanghai who killed his wife, hid her body in a freezer for three months and ran up a debt of nearly 200,000 yuan ($29,100) on her credit card while traveling alone and checking into hotel rooms with another woman, has lodged an appeal after receiving a death sentence on Thursday.

Zhu Songnian, the attorney for convicted killer Zhu Xiaodong, 30, confirmed the appeal and told Shanghai Law Journal: "Whatever the final court verdict will be, Zhu Xiaodong's family will apologize and financially compensate the woman's family."

Phone calls to the attorney by China Daily went unanswered on Thursday. Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court, where the defendant was sentenced earlier on Thursday, also did not respond.