Man arrested for killing married girlfriend over affair

A man who tried to commit suicide after allegedly killing his married girlfriend for having an affair has been arrested, prosecutors in Baoshan District said.

The suspect, surnamed Chen, found out that his girlfriend, surnamed Li, was having an affair with another man. 

During a dispute after their breakup, he slashed her throat with a knife. 

China's heaviest legal penalty for murder is death.

On September 3, Baoshan police received a call from Chen who said he had killed Li. When they arrived at the crime scene, they found Li lying in a pool of blood, while Chen tried to kill himself by slashing his wrists. He was taken to hospital and later detained by police.

A police investigation showed that Chen, who had a four-year relationship with Li, quarrelled with her that day after asking her to remove her belongings from his dormitory room. 

Chen said he had been living with Li in his room located on Shuichan Road. 

In August, Chen found out that she was having an affair and had several rows with her. Li left to live with her lover. 

On September 3, Chen sent a text message to Li and told her to come to his dorm room or he would send videos of them having sex to other people.

When Li arrived, Chen tried to persuade her to leave the other man, but she rejected his plea. Chen then picked up a cutter and slashed Li's throat two to three times. 

Li's husband, who was living in his hometown, traveled to Shanghai for the police investigation. He claimed that he often received messages from a strange number, asking him to bring Li home and asking for his forgiveness for Li's extramarital affair in Shanghai.