Malaysian court sentences US man to death by hanging for killing ex-wife

Gerald Wayne Mickelson had planned to move to the Phillipines to be with his new Filipino wife

KA Ramu, lawyer for the American Gerald Wayne Mickelson, speaks to reporters after a court hearing at Kuala Lumpur High Court (AP)

An American man has been sentence to death by hanging in Malaysia after he was convicted of murdering his ex-wife.

Gerald Wayne Mickelson, 63, was found guilty on Tuesday of strangling of his wife Guilda Mickelson in November 2016, but will appeal against the ruling, according to his lawyer KA Ramu

Mr Mickelson was reportedly working as an engineering consultant in Malaysia, but had planned to move to the Philippines to be with his new Filipino wife.

Mr Ramu said his client had testified that he got into an argument with his ex-wife in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. He said the American had acted in self-defence when his ex-wife started attacking him.

The court found otherwise in its ruling Tuesday.

“After evaluating all evidence, the court found he was guilty” as the post-mortem showed that Guilda Mickelson died of “fatal compression to the neck”, Mr Ramu said, adding that she also suffered some head injuries.

After the incident, he said his client had called the hotel management for help and did not try to escape.

Mr Mickelson cried after the brief ruling was read out in the courtroom and was consoled by his Filipino wife, Mr Ramu said, adding that his client plans to appeal.

The killing took place at a hotel in the Brickfields area between 5am and 11.45am on 26 November, 2016, according to the New Straits Times.

The paper quoted judge Datuk Azman Abdullah as saying: “The accused failed to provide evidence that the injuries suffered by the deceased [were inflicted during] an act of self-defence.”

The Mickelsons had been married for 30 years before divorcing but were still living together, prosecutors told the Times.

“During the investigation, the accused said he got into an argument his ex-wife who [would] not allow him to move to the Philippines,” said deputy public prosecutor Azeezi Nordin.

Additional reporting by AP