A local man has been sentenced to one year of probation for accidentally killing his wife in Jiading district, a district court announced Tuesday.
The defendant, surnamed Jin, was charged with assault following a scuffle on October 2, 2011, that left his wife dead, according to a press release from Jiading District People's Court.
The incident began after Jin's wife came home after a night out playing mahjong. Jin was waiting for her at the gate of their apartment building when she returned around noon.
The two began to argue and the fight quickly got physical, with both Jin and his wife shoving each other, according to the court. After one particular shove, Jin's wife fell and slammed her head into the door of a nearby car. She suffered a craniocerebral injury and died in the hospital the next day, the court said.
Jin was sentenced to one year in prison, but was given a reprieve that allowed him to serve probation instead. The judge determined that the couple had maintained a normal marriage before the fight.
The judge gave Jin a lenient sentence because he confessed to the crime, and had been forgiven by his wife's family, the press release said.