Australian man cuts off dead brother's ear while attending funeral. Here's why he did it

The man chopped off a portion of his sibling's ear. He claims he had "no other choice" in a desperate attempt to prove his nephew was illegitimate.

A man from Sydney, Australia, was accused of chopping off a portion of his deceased brother's ear to support a DNA theory he thought would help him win in an inheritance dispute. On the day of his brother's funeral, Jian Zhong Li took his son and sneaked up to his brother's coffin. Jian then chopped off a portion of his sibling's ear. He claims he had "no other choice" in a desperate attempt to prove his nephew was illegitimate, as per reports.

On the day of his brother's funeral, Jian Zhong Li sneaked up to his brother's coffin and cut a portion of his ear. (Pixabay)

According to the Daily Star, he was convinced that his nephew Cheng Zhang Li, the son of his brother Jian Ming Li, who died at the age of 58 from a lung disease, was illegitimate since he grew a "suspicious" beard. If this were true, Cheng would no longer be entitled to the deceased's inheritance, which included a million-dollar mansion in Petersham. (Also Read: Doctors shocked to find a 32 cm live eel inside Vietnamese man's rectum, perform emergency surgery)

While speaking to A Current Affair, Jian said that he asked for a a sample of his brother's skin or hair but was turned down by the funeral director. He then admitted that he had taken part of the ear for "a little bit for the DNA". He further said, "We can't cut whole. I just wanted a sample, a little bit." Jian also mentioned that he wanted his mother to be a part of the inheritance as she lived in poor conditions.

He stated that he placed the ear in a "plastic bag" and then in a glass container, which he stored in the refrigerator. His dark secret came to light only when he attempted to confirm the sample's legitimacy. (Also Read: 45-year-old fakes death, later shows up at his funeral)

He required the burial services to sign a document stating that the piece of the ear was real, and when they refused, they notified the deceased's next of kin. Cops subsequently raided the fridge and took the ear. He admitted to his offence at Burwood Local Court last year and was fined $1500 (approximately. ₹1.25 lakhs).

Later, it was found that Cheng was the legitimate son of Jian Ming Li.