Indian man gets life sentence for wife's gruesome murder
Houston (PTI): An Indian man was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US state of Florida for the gruesome murder of his wife in 2020 in the parking lot of a hospital where she was working as a nurse, according to a media report.
Philip Mathew on Friday pleaded no contest to the first-degree murder of Merin Joy, his wife who was planning an escape from an abusive relationship, The Sun Sentinel newspaper reported.
The plea deal spared him from the possibility of a death sentence, the report said.
In 2020, Joy, 26, then a nurse at Broward Health Coral Springs, was stabbed 17 times. Police said Mathew blocked her car in with his, slashed her repeatedly, and then drove over her body on the ground before driving off, police said.
One of her co-workers would later say Mathew drove over her "like she was a speed bump," and as employees rushed to her aid, Joy could only cry to them over and over: "I have a baby."
Before she died, police said, she revealed her attacker's identity.
On Friday, Mathew also pleaded no contest to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was immediately sentenced to life in state prison with no possibility of release, plus a maximum of five years for the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The decision was made to waive the death penalty because of the certainty of the life sentence and because the defendant was giving up his right to appeal, said Paula McMahon, spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office.
Joy's family remains devastated by their profound loss.
Joby Philip, a cousin on Joy's side of the family, watched Friday's hearing on Zoom from where he lives in Tampa, then translated the outcome to her family.
Joy's mother is "glad to know her daughter's killer would remain the rest of his years in jail and she's relieved to know the legal process is over," he said Friday.
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Woman dies hours after delivery baby girl in Hassan; Family alleges medical negligence
Hassan: The death of a 30-year-old woman within hours of delivering a baby girl has triggered protests in Hassan, with her family alleging medical negligence and delay in treatment.
The deceased has been identified as Shruthi (30), wife of Puneeth of Hanumanahalli village in Hassan taluk. She was originally from K.R. Pet and was working as a guest teacher at the Government Primary School in Chikkagadenahalli. Her husband Puneeth is employed as a bus driver at the K.R. Pet depot.
Shruthi was admitted to the Government Women and Children’s Hospital in Hassan for delivery. She delivered a healthy baby girl through normal delivery. However, soon after childbirth, her health reportedly deteriorated.
Family members alleged that doctors informed them she required a large quantity of blood. They said blood was arranged immediately, but they were later advised to shift her to another hospital for further treatment. As it was Sunday, timely treatment was not provided, the family claimed. Shruthi reportedly died on the way to another hospital.
Her husband Puneeth alleged that negligence on the part of doctors led to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the newborn baby is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the Government Women and Children’s Hospital (HIMS), Hassan. Doctors are said to be monitoring the infant’s condition.
The incident falls under the Hassan Town police station limits. Police have begun collecting information, and further legal action may be taken based on medical records and the post-mortem report.
