Most mothers would sacrifice anything for the well-being of their children, which is why it’s always so shocking whenever cases of mothers murdering their own offspring make headlines.
Recently, an 83-year-old woman named Huang from Guangzhou, China, shocked the nation when she confessed to murdering her 46-year-old disabled son earlier this year in May.
Her son was born prematurely and had mental and physical disabilities that left him unable to walk or talk. As he grew older, his muscles became weaker and got worse, which meant that he needed more help and attention from his mother. She even had to retire at 47 so she could take better care of him.
Source: Sina News
According to Shanghaiist, Huang reportedly fed her son 60 sleeping pills, stuffed his nose with cotton pads and strangled him with a scarf until he died.
She turned herself in to the police the following day and confessed to murdering her son.
During her trial in September, she explained to the court why she committed such a crime, saying,
“I’m getting older and weaker and I was afraid that I might die before he did and he would have no one to take care of him. I struggled with the decision for a week before deciding to feed him sleeping pills.”
The court then asked Huang why she could not just find another family member to help look after him, to which she explained that she didn’t want anyone else to carry that burden, especially since she is the mother. She said, “I would rather kill him than leave him for someone else to care for.”
Source: Shanghaiist
She went on to explain that her health also began to deteriorate for the past couple of years, so she frequently worried about what would happen to her son. Despite her friends’ suggestions of sending her son to a welfare centre, she insisted that no one could provide better care for him than she could. Huang said by ending his life, at least he would not be able to suffer anymore.
Huang’s eldest son also defended her in court, saying,
“My mother’s crime is nothing like homicide. She only wanted to end his suffering. In her heart, she did not want to harm my younger brother.”
After hearing what Huang and her son had to say, the judge stated,
“Rather than murder out of hatred, this was murder out of love. However, the right to life is a person’s most important right. No one can take that away, including a parent.”
In the end, the court showed mercy to the 83-year-old by giving her a three-year suspended prison sentence.
What a disturbing and sad thing this woman and her son had to go through! We hope that Huang and her family find peace in what has happened.
Also read: Woman Murdered in Genting Highlands, Found Tied-up and Dead in Bathroom
