Man In China Gets Death Penalty After Pushing Wife Into Sea For Insurance Money

A 47-year-old man in China was sentenced to death after he pushed his wife into the sea to claim an insurance payout. According to a report by China's state broadcaster CCTV on November 21, the man, identified by his surname Li, planned to collect his wife's life insurance payout to settle his debts and fund his use of prostitutes. Last year, the Liaoning Higher People's Court handed down capital punishment for intentional homicide. However, it is unclear whether the sentence has been executed.

As per a report by the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred on May 5, 2021, on a ferry travelling from Dalian, Liaoning Province, to Yantai, Shandong Province, in eastern China. During the journey, the wife of the accused, also surnamed Li, fell over the ferry's railing and into the sea. Following a 45-minute search, authorities recovered her body. Upon learning of her death, her husband appeared to be in shock, sitting on the ground in a state of paralysis.

Initially, he claimed the incident was accidental. However, investigators grew suspicious due to the location of the incident being in a blind spot of the ferry's extensive surveillance system, which comprises over 200 cameras. Furthermore, forensic experts discovered bruises on the victim's face.

Additionally, Li demonstrated an unusual eagerness to obtain his wife's death certificate from the authorities, citing local customs that dictated cremation within three days of death. Unknown to Li, the police had devised a plan to invite him to Dalian under the pretence of providing the certificate, while simultaneously dispatching officers to Shanghai, where Li resided, to conduct a discreet investigation into his activities.

Investigations uncovered that Li owned a restaurant in Shanghai, but he struggled with debt. Li remained unmarried until October 2020, when he wed a 46-year-old woman, also surnamed Li, who had two children from her previous two marriages. Interestingly, the woman had been employed at Li's restaurant since 2016. However, police inquiries revealed that the restaurant staff were unaware of their marriage, and neighbours observed that the couple did not appear to be in a romantic relationship.

During the investigation, officers also tracked down a 19-year-old girlfriend of the husband. Just half a month later, he solicited a prostitute in a hotel room arranged by the police, who were surveilling him. 

Further investigation revealed that Li had purchased four life insurance policies for his wife just two months after their marriage, naming himself as the sole beneficiary. If she died in a transport-related incident, he would have received a whopping 12 million yuan (US$1.6 million) in compensation.

Despite the evidence, Li continued to claim innocence. However, forensic experts analysed footage from surveillance cameras and concluded that the victim's body fell in a manner consistent with being pushed, rather than an accidental fall. Enhanced footage also revealed another person's arm in black, matching Li's attire that day.

Li was sentenced to death for murder in the first trial in July 2022, and a higher court upheld the verdict following his appeal.