LEAMINGTON, ONT. -- A sentencing hearing was held Friday for a Leamington man found guilty of manslaughter in the death of his wife.
Cheng Sun was charged with murdering his wife Weqiong Du-Sun with a hammer in June of 2017.
The court heard 46-year-old Du-Sun's body was found inside the Break Time Corner restaurant in Leamington with a string around her neck, burnt money on her body and injuries showing she had been repeatedly struck in the head at least 10 times with a claw hammer.
Sun addressed the court on Friday saying, "I will carry the guilt of this for the rest of my life."
During the trial, which started in October of 2019, jurors heard the couple was in an unhappy marriage and that Du-Sun was leaving to go back to China.
Sun was originally charged with first degree murder on June 29, 2017. On Oct. 18, 2019, he pled not guilty to second degree murder.
After the trial, the jury found Sun not guilty of second degree murder, but instead guilty of manslaughter.
Sun will return to court on Feb. 7 to find out when he'll be sentenced.
Defence lawyer Frank Miller feels his client should not face more than seven years in prison.
Miller argued Du-Sun was the initial and that this was a case of death by provocation. He told the court she had a knife, confronted and threatened his client in the moments leading up to the violent ending.
Crown lawyer Ilana Mizel didn't buy the argument pointing to the fact that Sun provided a two-hour interview the following day with no mention of a knife. She also said Sun had no defensive wounds from the altercation.
Mizel, who feels the assault was gratuitous, asked the court to impose an 11 to 12 year sentence for what she described as "extreme and unbridled violence" with two weapons used against du-sun.
She told the judge if Du-Sun had a knife sun should receive 11 years. If she didn't have a knife he should get 12.
