An Indian-origin man was sentenced to life in the US State of Florida for the alleged gruesome murder of his wife in the parking lot of a hospital, where she was working as a nurse, in 2020. The victim was reportedly stabbed 17 times in Broward Health Coral Springs.
As per media reports, the hearing took place on Friday, during which the accused Philip Mathew pleaded no contest to the first-degree murder of his wife Merin Joy, who was said to be planning an escape from an abusive relationship. The plea deal spared him from the possibility of a death sentence.
According to police, Mathew blocked Joy's car with his own, slashed her repeatedly, and then drove over her body on the ground before driving off. One of her co-workers said that 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".
However, Joy revealed the attacker's name before she succumbed to her injuries. Now Mathew has been sentenced to life in state prison without any possibility for release, with an additional five years for 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.
Joby Philip, a cousin on Joy’s side of the family, said that her 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".
(with inputs from PTI)
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