Reno Man Convicted for killing wife over blackjack debt
Gambling Murderer

A Reno, Nevada man was convicted of murdering his wife after she called him a coward for loosing $20,000 on blackjack and baccarat.

An unemployed and unlucky Reno, Nevada resident, Samuel Powshing Kung, pled guilty to second-degree murder for strangling his wife Gina Lew on July 9, 2010. Prior to the murder, Mrs. Lew found out that Mr. Kung secretly quit his job as a cook at a local Chinese restaurant. Instead of going to work, Mr. Kung has been spending the days at local casinos playing baccarat and blackjack card games. Within a month, Mr. Kung managed to lose the family’s entire life savings of $20,000.

Mrs. Lew, who worked two jobs, discovered the missing savings when she was unable to pay household bills due to an empty bank account. After confronted her husband, who admitted gambling away the money by using a card counting system which failed to work, Mrs. Lew became angry. According to court testimony, Mrs. Lew called her husband “a coward”, which enraged her husband, and caused him to put his hands around her neck with enough pressure to kill her.

According to casino gambling news, Mr. Kung walked out of the family’s home, approached a Reno Police Department officer, and stated that “I’ve done a bad thing. I’ve killed my wife.” The police shortly located the body and arrested Mr. Kung, who immediately confessed. Mr. Kung said that he thought about running away but “knew he would get caught.” He also stated that he realized he had ruined his life, and that he deserves his punishment.

On March 18, 2011, Mr. Kung will most likely be sentenced to life in prison by Washoe District Judge Patrick Flanagan.