She Smiled At Another Man In A Movie Theater. Then, Her Husband Hacked Her To Death.

An Indian man killed his wife because she smiled at another man in a movie theater.

Now, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Last month, Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court VI Judge Vishnu K in India sentenced Mariyappan, 45, to life in prison for the bludgeoning and hacking death of his wife Kanniyammal, 38.

After a twenty-four-day trial, Mariyappan was found guilty and convicted of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

On Sept. 23, 2018, Mariyappan and Kanniyammal spent some time at the movie theater before returning to their rented home at Mukkolakkal near Sreevaraham. Upon arrival, the defendant got into an argument with his wife because she smiled at an acquaintance at the theater, according to ONmanorama.

Soon, in a rage, Mariyappan dragged his wife into their bedroom, where he bludgeoned his wife with a hammer, which knocked her unconscious. Then, the defendant used a machete and hacked her to death before fleeing to the town of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Mariyappan was arrested three days later.

One of the couple’s sons, Manikantan, who worked as a pizza delivery man, came home later that night to find his mother in a pool of blood. According to prosecutors, the couple’s oldest son, Ganesh, told investigators his mother had confided in him about her constant and frequent torture at the hands of their father due to his unfound jealousy and suspicions.

Despite the lack of eyewitnesses to the crime, prosecutors built a strong circumstantial case with pieces of evidence, such as the defendant’s footprints near his wife’s body. The couple’s landlord also testified seeing Mariyappan with Kanniyammal before her demise. In total, the state submitted 41 documents and 25 materials as evidence during the trial, reported The Hindu.

Vishnu also ordered Mariyappan to pay a fine of 50,000 rupees ($627). If unpaid, the defendant will spend additional six months in prison to the life sentence.