Death sentence upheld for American over girlfriend's murder in China

Credit: CCTV

A Chinese court on Thursday upheld the death sentence for Shadeed Abdulmateen, a United States citizen who murdered his girlfriend while working in China.

The American allegedly murdered his 21-year-old Chinese girlfriend, surnamed Chen, on June 14 in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, last year.

Abdulmateen, who came to work in China in June 2013, had got married and had a child, but started living separately from his wife around March 2019 and divorced her in May last year, according to the Higher People's Court of Zhejiang.

He began dating Chen at the start of 2019, when he was still married. Chen wanted to terminate their relationship in late May last year, but he refused and threatened her verbally, the court said.

On June 14, the fatal night, the American made an appointment with Chen near a bus stop. There, after about two hours, he slashed Chen's neck and stabbed her face with a knife he was carrying, according to the court.

He was sentenced to death by the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in the first trial of the case on April 12 this year and then filed an appeal.

All legal rights of Abdulmateen as well as those of the relatives of the victim in the murder case were protected during the trial, the higher people's court said.

The court assigned two defense lawyers and engaged an interpreter for the defendant, and the announcement of the sentence was attended by about 20 people, including officials from the US Consulate General in Shanghai, which covers the province.

The death sentence from the second trial is subject to an obligatory review by the Supreme People's Court of China, the court said.