21-year-old strangles ailing grandmother

A 21-year-old man killed his 88-year-old grandmother Monday before turning himself in to police, local media reported Tuesday.

The suspect, surnamed Zhao, choked his grandmother to death with a towel and a piece of wire following a trivial argument at their home on Chengdu Road North in Huangpu district, according to a report on the news portal xinmin.cn. Police have taken Zhao into custody.

The local neighborhood committee had never heard Zhao and his grandmother arguing before, a committee member told the Global Times. Zhao had been taking care of his grandmother by himself for a while.

Neighbors said that the grandmother, who had a pacemaker, was in poor health. She required a lot of Zhao's attention. He took care of all of the housework and regularly took her to see the doctor, according to a news report on Shanghai Television Station (STV). Neighbors said the situation prevented Zhao from finding a job.

"The grandson had been studying for a second college degree, but had to give it up to take care of his grandmother," the committee member said.

Zhao's father had lived with them until he died two years ago, STV reported.

The grandmother had other children, but they refused to take care of her and only came occasionally to visit. They wanted to put her in a nursing home, but she refused.

Neighborhood committee member Huang Chungen said that Zhao had been diagnosed with depression, STV reported.