A Chinese court has sentenced an American man to death for fatally stabbing his girlfriend after she wanted to break up with him.
Shadeed Abdulmateen was found guilty on Thursday of intentional homicide for the death of 21-year-old Ningbo University of Technology student Chen Shijun.
Abdulmateen, who taught English at the same university, met Chen in early 2019. He started a romantic relationship with her and lied about his relationship status and being divorced, according to reports.
Chen tried ending their relationship in May 2019, but Abdulmateen reportedly responded with verbal intimidation and refused to break up.
He convinced Chen to meet him on the evening of June 14, 2019, at a bus stop in Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province. He stabbed her neck and face with a folding knife at around 9:48 p.m. She died at the scene of the incident after sustaining a massive hemorrhage.
The Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court found that Abdulmateen killed Chen with premeditation and a motive to seek revenge. In its ruling, the court declared that the defendant’s crime should be punished accordingly.
During his trial, Abdulmateen was allowed translation services and consular visits. An official from the U.S. State Department confirmed it was aware of the sentence but declined to discuss the situation further due to privacy concerns.
