Two elderly women living in the same ancestral home got into a fight, leaving their descendants calling it a "strange tale." The family reported that Huang's body was found lying by the door.
Southeast Network - Strait Times, May 6th (reporter: Zeng Bingguang, Yang Qingzhu, text and photos) — A 99-year-old woman fighting with a 97-year-old woman sounds unimaginable, but it happened. Even more shockingly, the 99-year-old woman accidentally killed the 97-year-old woman. This incident occurred in Longtan Village, Xiege, Jingcheng Town, Nanjing County. The 97-year-old Huang and the 99-year-old Chen lived in the same ancestral house, with their bedroom doors facing each other. For unknown reasons, they quarreled, leading to Huang being beaten to death and Chen also getting injured.
According to the Nanjing County Criminal Investigation Brigade, the incident stemmed from trivial matters. Chen admitted that she accidentally killed someone and has been released on bail, currently under observation at the Xiangcheng Tianbao Central Health Center.
The daughter-in-law delivering dinner discovered her mother-in-law bleeding and lying on the ground.
At 5:30 PM on May 3rd, Huang's younger daughter-in-law Li Lian delivered dinner to her mother-in-law as usual. Upon entering the ancestral house, she found her mother-in-law lying face up on the ground, unconscious, with a fractured forehead, blood all over the floor, and the skin torn off both arms. A nearby broken brick was covered in blood.
Li Lian said she was terrified at the sight. Chen was sitting on the threshold, staring at the body on the ground. Recalling past disputes between her mother-in-law and Chen, Li immediately suspected Chen. “I asked her why she was so wicked for doing this,” Li recounted. Before she could finish speaking, Chen pulled out a walking stick and struck her hand hard. Realizing the situation was wrong, Li left the scene shouting “Murder!” without even putting down the food.
Soon after, the police arrived at the scene and confirmed that Huang had died. “My mom passed away so tragically; it took many bandages to tie up her arms,” said Huang's youngest son, Li Abiao. When he arrived at the scene, he found his mother’s feet inside her room while her body lay face up in the shared hall.
Chen's grandson: Willing to pay funeral expenses
Neighbors of the two elderly women described Chen as reclusive, having strained relationships with most villagers. She lived alone in the ancestral house and cooked for herself.
Li Abiao explained that the ownership of the ancestral house belonged to two families. His mother and Chen each lived in separate rooms opposite each other. As other families nearby moved away, only these two elderly women remained. In their youth, they occasionally argued, but now, with most of their peers gone, they were considered the village's longest-lived residents. People often visited his mother’s side for casual chats, while “Chen’s side rarely had visitors.”
“Just a few days ago, I saw them chatting together,” another neighbor recalled. With age, their personalities became childlike; they could have a fierce argument one day and then enjoy sweets together the next day. Such an incident was unimaginable.
Chen's second grandson, Li Mouquan, expressed disbelief that two nearly two-hundred-year-olds combined would still fight. He described it as a "worldwide rarity." Due to their solitary living conditions, neighbors weren't close enough to intervene promptly, which might have led to this outcome. Li Mouquan stated that the three brothers were willing to bear the funeral expenses for Huang.
Police: Legal procedures will be followed
Speaking about the case, Chief Zhuang of the Nanjing County Criminal Investigation Brigade mentioned that in his years of investigation, this was the first time he encountered such a case. During interrogation, Chen indeed admitted to accidentally killing the other person.
“For now, we've granted her bail and sent her to the hospital for observation to check if there are any health issues,” Chief Zhuang explained. Despite her age of 99, all legal procedures will still be followed without leniency due to her advanced age.
Regarding this, lawyer Ye Qingrui from Fujian Jingwiming Law Firm pointed out that although Amendment VIII of the Criminal Law increases and clarifies leniency towards elderly offenders, stating that those aged 75 or older who commit intentional crimes may receive lighter or mitigated penalties, and those committing negligent crimes should receive lighter or mitigated penalties. Furthermore, those aged 75 or older during trial, except those causing death through exceptionally cruel means, are not subject to the death penalty. However, this does not mean that crimes committed by those over 75 go unpunished. If elderly individuals over 75 possess criminal responsibility capacity, they must still bear criminal liability for their actions.