Kerala Man Shoots Pregnant Wife in US, Held

A Kerala man residing in the US was arrested on November 13, for shooting and wounding his 32-year-old pregnant wife. Amal Reji, who belongs to Ettumanoor in Kottayam district, shot Meera Abraham at a close range following an altercation in a church parking lot in Chicago.

Abraham, who also belongs to Kottayam, suffered gunshot wounds on her waist and chin. She is admitted to a hospital and is in a critical condition. The couple had moved to the US six years ago, and have a four-year-old child and were expecting another baby soon.

Similar Case: Man Receives Life Imprisonment for Murdering Wife in US

On November 3 this year, another Kerala man received a life sentence for the murder of his wife in Florida, US, three years ago. The accused, Philip Mathew, entered a plea of no contest to the charge of first-degree murder. It is alleged that his wife had been attempting to flee from an abusive relationship.

In 2020, Merin Joy, who was from Kottayam district, was stabbed 17 times by Mathew in the parking lot of the hospital where she worked as a nurse. He then ran over her with his car, her colleagues, who were present at the scene, reported

According to the reports by NDTV, a colleague of Joy later described the incident as Mathew running over her "as if she were a speed bump." As her coworkers hurried to help her, Joy repeatedly pleaded with them, saying, "I have a baby." Tragically, before she passed away, the police reported that she managed to disclose the identity of her assailant.

Paula McMahon, the spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office, explained that the choice to forgo a death penalty was based on the assurance of the life sentence and the fact that the defendant was relinquishing his right to appeal.

Three years after Joy's murder, the grief and anguish of her family persist as they grapple with 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.

Although Joy's mother expressed a sense of relief in learning that her daughter's murderer would spend the remainder of his life behind bars, she was also comforted by the fact that the legal proceedings had concluded.

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