The family of Susan Chen, a nurse who worked at the Hospital for Sick Children, sat in a Toronto courtroom Friday as a judge sentenced Chen’s husband and father to the couple’s five children, 58-year-old Mansour Jalali, to 10 years in prison.
Jalali, who was self-represented except for the help of an amicus, had a number of loud outbursts during the hearing.
At one point, the 58-year-old yelled out the children’s names asking them to come visit him in jail, contravening a court order that he have no contact with the kids. Jalali also professed his innocence a number of times and told the judge he should be able to see his kids.
“They will learn their father is innocent and truth has been buried on your watch,” he exclaimed.
The sentence was handed down almost two years after Superior Court Justice Michael Brown found Jalali not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Jalaii fired a number of lawyers during the legal process and tried to reopen the trial after the judgment, which added to the delays.
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“I believe an appropriate sentence in this case is one of 10 years. Were it not for the mitigating circumstances in this case, including the harsh conditions in incarceration and the serious assault that occurred at the hands of other inmates, I would have imposed a 12-year sentence which is at the top end of the scale for domestic manslaughter,” Justice Brown told the court.
It was April 3, 2019, when Chen was pronounced dead inside the Bonis Avenue townhouse where she lived with her five children and her husband. An autopsy found she died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to anal trauma. She had a laceration on her anal canal that measured 8.5 cm in length.
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On Feb. 23, 2023, Brown found Jalali guilty of manslaughter. Court heard that Chen was subjected to bodily harm when he sexually assaulted his 40-year-old wife which caused an anal tear.
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Justice Brown said aggravating factors were that Chen was Jalali’s spouse, the sex assault happened with all five children in the house, Chen was a mother to five children including one who was only four years old at the time, and Jalali cleaned up blood stains in the bathroom and bedroom in an effort to hide evidence.
Brown said mitigating factors included the fact that Jalali is a first-time offender who has experienced very harsh conditions during his incarceration. He was also assaulted at the Toronto East Detention Centre in March 2020 at the hands of four other inmates who were convicted of assault. Brown said he was satisfied the assault was due to the fact that Jalali was charged with killing his wife.
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In an affidavit Jalali filed in court, Jalali wrote about what precipitated the attack.
“One of the inmates said, ‘Why did you f–ing kill her?’ I explained I didn’t. This hostility resurfaced again with different inmates or new inmates.”
The judge said an additional issue he considered in sentencing was that Jalali has not demonstrated any remorse for the killing of his wife.
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“It cannot be used to punish the accused, however absence of remorse is a relevant factor with respect to factors of rehabilitation and deterrence,” Brown told court. “A failure to accept responsibility for the crime committed. This, in turn, may exacerbate the offender’s risk of re-offending.”
Voice recordings that Chen sent to her mother years prior to her death in which Jalali can be heard threatening his wife were also played during the trial. Brown said he found in his judgment that there was prior abuse by Jalali towards Chen during their marriage. “I have detailed five examples of domestic abuse,” he said.
During the trial, Chen’s sister testified that she had confided in her that she was abused and afraid because Jalali was drinking too much. In 2007, Jalali was charged with domestic assault. The charge was later withdrawn.
The Crown had asked for a sentence of 14 to 16 years in jail, above the general range for domestic manslaughter. Jalali argued he should be given a sentence of time served.
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Brown gave Jalali eight years’ credit for pre-sentence custody after spending five years, four months and 17 days in pre-sentence custody. The judge gave him less credit than 1.5 to 1 because, after Sept. 18, 2024, Jalali caused further delays after again firing his counsel.
Jalali was also given a three-year probation order which will include a condition that he have no contact with his children.
In a statement issued to Ontario Chronicle, the family of Susan Chen wrote, “Like so many other victims of intimate partner homicide, Susan was senselessly taken from us far too soon. Susan was a selfless and devoted spouse, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt who dedicated her career to helping others as a nurse, making a lasting impact on countless lives.
“Her love for her children, family, and friends was unconditional, and that love was deeply returned. This profound and heartbreaking tragedy has left the world without an extraordinary soul, and her absence will be felt by all who knew her.”
© 2025 Ontario Chronicle, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
