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Lutz man gets 40 years for beating wife to death

 
Chunping Lin also received five years’ probation.
Chunping Lin also received five years’ probation.
Published March 9, 2013

TAMPA — A 46-year-old man convicted of beating his wife to death in front of their son was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday morning.

In January, Chunping Lin was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder and battery.

Judge Emmett Battles gave him time served on the misdemeanor battery charge, but also sentenced Lin to five years' probation after his prison sentence.

Lin has been in the Hillsborough County jail since May 2011.

"He will have supervision in one way or another for the rest of his life," Battles said.

Lin's lawyer argued he should receive a lighter sentence because he doesn't have a prior criminal history and was an American success story after moving to the United States from China and opening a restaurant.

Lin had been drinking when he began to argue with his wife, 43-year-old Lixin Tian, over money on May 25, 2011.

During the trial, Lin's son, now 12, testified against him, detailing the beating.

The boy testified that his father slapped Tian, then punched her in the back of her head. His mother tried to push him away, but Lin continued to strike. The boy tried to stop his father, but couldn't. He cut his finger after throwing a glass of water at Lin.

The boy's mother cried. He called 911. He went upstairs and asked his 19-year-old half-brother for help.

Tian and the boys eventually escaped from the home, but she slipped into a coma later that day. She was removed from life support in July 2011.

On Friday, the boy was not in court.

Prosecutor Natalia Silver said he mentioned he does not love his father. "He's expressed that he never wants to see him out of jail," Silver said.

Laura C. Morel can be reached at lmorel@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386.