Chongqing Man’s Death After Alleged Abuse Sparks Domestic Violence Debate

A 35-year-old man in Chongqing, China, died after jumping from the eighth-floor balcony of his apartment in January 2024, following what his family describes as sustained domestic violence and psychological pressure from his wife. More than two years later, the case remains unresolved — police declined to file charges, and a criminal private prosecution filed by the victim’s parents has languished in court for nine months without a decision on whether it will be accepted.

The Incident

According to an investigation by The Paper, the victim, identified as Dai Fu (a pseudonym), was a 35-year-old only child who held a government-affiliated job in Chongqing’s Shapingba District. On the morning of January 24, 2024, an argument with his wife, identified as Sun Mou, escalated into physical violence.

The couple’s 9-year-old daughter, Shi Shi, provided a written account describing the scene: “Mom was like Sun Wukong holding a clothes hanger rod, fire blazing from her head. Without a word, she swung it down, and Dad fled again to the living room.”

Dai Fu retreated to the bathroom and locked the door. When Sun Mou kicked it open, he climbed through a small window onto an air conditioner platform — a concrete slab roughly one meter long and 80 centimeters wide — suspended outside the eighth floor.

A Fatal Half Hour

Dai Fu’s mother, Xu Hong, who was present in the apartment, grabbed her son’s hand and tried to pull him back inside. She alleges that Sun Mou shouted, “If you want to die, go die. You don’t deserve to live. I’ll poke you down, just die already,” and jabbed at him with the clothes hanger rod. Sun Mou denies making these statements.

Security guards arrived shortly after police dispatched them. They reported hearing Sun Mou shouting, “Go ahead and jump, just jump down” and “You don’t deserve to live in this world.” Dai Fu responded, “My head hurts, I need to calm down.”

Police then called Xu Hong to the window. Dai Fu told his mother, “Mom, I entrust Shi Shi to you.” Moments later, he fell backward from the platform to his death.

Police and Prosecutors Decline to Act

Xu Hong filed a criminal complaint with the Shapingba Public Security Bureau on February 28, 2024, alleging negligent homicide. On March 15, the bureau issued a notice declining to file a case, citing “no criminal facts.”

The decision was upheld by the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Legal Affairs Division and, in April 2025, by the Shapingba District Procuratorate. Police argued that Dai Fu climbed out the window voluntarily and jumped of his own accord, and that police intervention had “broken the causal chain” linking Sun Mou’s actions to his death.

Legal experts cited in Guancha offered a different assessment. Lawyer Diao Taiguo, a former associate professor at a Chongqing university law school, argued that if Dai Fu was placed in a dangerous situation while fleeing Sun Mou’s beating, and she continued to apply psychological pressure, she may be suspected of negligent homicide. “Spouses have a duty to rescue each other,” he said.

Lawyer Zhou Xifeng of Beijing Jingshi Law Firm went further, suggesting that Sun Mou’s conduct “may constitute a crime of omission or even indirect intentional homicide.”

A Rare Legal Remedy

With no recourse through police or prosecutors, Dai Fu’s parents — his father Dai Hong, 62, and mother Xu Hong — filed a criminal private prosecution at the Shapingba District Court on August 14, 2025. Under Chinese criminal procedure law, victims or their legal representatives can file such prosecutions in certain cases where public prosecutors decline to act. However, private prosecutions are relatively rare and face significant procedural hurdles.

As reported by IFeng, nine months after filing, the court has still not decided whether to accept the case. The parents have also submitted a judgment from a similar case in Pengshui County, Chongqing, where a defendant was convicted of negligent homicide, as a precedent.

Broader Questions

The case has ignited debate about how Chinese authorities handle domestic violence — particularly when the victim is male. China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law, in effect since 2016, has been criticized for inconsistent enforcement and a focus primarily on female victims.

According to China.com, the parents also raised concerns about missing evidence. When police examined Dai Fu’s phone, the WeChat and QQ applications had been deleted, leaving chat records blank. Police stated they could not determine who deleted the apps, and Huawei was unable to determine the cause.

Dai Fu’s daughter now lives with her grandmother. The parents allege that Sun Mou received three-quarters of the marital property but has not paid any child support. Her employer confirmed that it has spoken with her about fulfilling her parental obligations.

“If my son jumped because he couldn’t think straight on his own, I wouldn’t blame anyone,” Dai Hong told The Paper. “I also hope that through this case, we can warn young people with similar experiences and prevent the same tragedy from happening again.”

What’s Next

The Shapingba District Court’s decision on whether to accept the criminal private prosecution will be a critical test of whether China’s legal system can provide recourse for male victims of domestic violence. Legal observers are watching closely, as the outcome could set a precedent for similar cases nationwide.