A woman working in the kitchen of a cooked-food shop in China has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison after she accidentally threw a knife that struck and killed her ex-husband.
According to Hongxing News, court documents show the incident happened in May 2025 in Weishi County, Henan province.
The woman, identified as Chen, and the victim, Zhang, were previously married and had a daughter together. The couple divorced by mutual agreement in January 2025 but continued living together after their divorce.
At the time of the incident, both were working in the kitchen of the same cooked-food shop.
The court found that Chen became annoyed by a single-edged knife with a wooden handle lying on the sink because she felt it was in the way. She picked it up and threw it towards the direction of a freezer.
However, the knife struck Zhang, who was also working in the kitchen, in the chest. He suffered a ruptured heart and died from severe blood loss.
After the incident, Chen and others rushed Zhang to a hospital for emergency treatment. Police later summoned Chen at the hospital’s emergency department.
Prosecutors said Chen had no previous criminal record and had fully admitted what she had done. She also accepted the punishment and cooperated with the legal proceedings.
They noted that Chen and Zhang had continued living together after their divorce and had reportedly not had any major conflicts before the incident. Her efforts to help take Zhang to hospital were also considered as factors that could warrant a lighter sentence.
The Weishi County People’s Court ruled that Chen was guilty of causing death through negligence. The court also took into account that she was a first-time offender, had confessed and accepted the punishment, and had helped send Zhang to hospital after the incident.
Chen was ultimately sentenced to three years and two months in prison for causing death through negligence.
The wooden-handled single-edged knife used in the incident was handed over to the Weishi County Public Security Bureau for disposal in accordance with the law.
