Man who killed his pregnant wife sentenced to death

Yan Haojie, the man who killed his pregnant wife after she refused to help him repay his gambling debts, has been sentenced to death, the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court announced on Friday.

Investigations revealed that Yan, who was saddled with a gambling debt of over 1 million yuan, demanded money from his wife and threatened her with a knife on the morning of March 20, 2020. He then stabbed her to death after she refused. He later set fire to the house to cover up his crime.

The court found Yan guilty of intentional homicide and arson. Despite confessing to his crimes, he has been given capital punishment and deprived of political rights for life.

According to the investigation findings, Yan failed to obtain his degree while studying abroad and has been addicted to gambling since 2018. He also scouted his wife's home in the Pudong New Area before making the attack.