Man gets 3 years for mom's mercy killing

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GUANGZHOU, China, May 31 (UPI) -- A Chinese migrant worker was sentenced to three years in jail for killing his paralyzed mother at her request, court documents show.

Deng Mingjian, 41, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in jail with a four-year reprieve period for intentional homicide, Xinhua reported.

Deng pleaded guilty to buying two bottles of pesticide on May 16 at the request of his mother, Li Shulan, 73, who had suffered from hemiplegia for 20 years, court documents said.

Li died the same day after drinking the pesticide, the documents said.

Neighbors described Deng as a dutiful son who took care of his mother for decades and asked the court to give him a lenient sentence for this reason.

The court considered Deng's guilty plea as well as the request by the public when making its ruling.