A 55-year-old Edmonton woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for brutally beating to death her husband of 27 years.

Nyuk Len Hwang was initially charged with second-degree murder in the August 2013 death of Teck Hwang, 56. But in November 2016, she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Hwang beat her husband for hours with objects including a shower curtain rod, a two-by-four piece of wood, and a broom handle.

She called 911 when her husband fell unconscious, but he later died in hospital of blunt force trauma.

At her sentencing on Friday, Hwang braced herself against a table before addressing members of her husband's family.

"I'm sorry to the whole family," she told them.

Her 19-year-old son, Reuben Hwang, sat between relatives at the back of the Edmonton courtroom. When his mother spoke, he didn't look up.

'Heavy kind of pain to bear'

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Joanne Veit agreed to a joint submission from the Crown and defence for a 15-year prison term, minus the 60 days Hwang has already spent in custody.

Hwang will be subject to a lifetime weapons ban. She was also ordered not to contact her niece or sister-in-law before the end of her prison term.

"The family and friends of the deceased will mourn his loss for as long as they are alive," Veit told the court.

Reuben Hwang would have an especially "heavy kind of pain to bear," the judge said. He was at home with his parents when his father was killed.

Veit accepted the joint submission as reasonable and fair, and said she was optimistic about Hwang's rehabilitation.

"Ms. Hwang is a smart and competent woman," she said.

"She has many facets to her personality and to her life."

'A woman of intelligence'

Members of Hwang's Tibetan Buddhist temple filled the first row of seats in the courtroom. Each person submitted a letter in support of Hwang, who goes by the name Cynthia in her community.

"When I first met Cynthia she was extremely distraught and distressed," one woman wrote.

"Since she has had counselling, Cynthia seems to have calmed down a lot, but she still cries a lot."

The letter details Hwang's contributions to the temple as a volunteer cook, describing her as "very pleasant, kind-hearted and generous."

Hwang's lawyer, Charles Seto, said Hwang developed mental health issues after the birth of her son.

"She strikes me as a woman of intelligence — she's doing her best to come to grips with mental health issues," Seto said, adding that his client is still trying to accept losing relationships with members of her family.

"Her son, although now estranged from Ms. Hwang, was at one time very close with his mother," he said.

Before Hwang pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November, Reuben Hwang was set to testify. At Friday's sentencing, she said she couldn't bear to hear her son speak against her.

"I don't want him to testify about his mom," Hwang said.

"I want to have a good memory of him in my heart."

'An old-fashioned beating'

On Friday, Edmonton Police Service Staff Sgt. Bill Clark slipped into the courtroom minutes before Hwang's sentencing began.

Clark investigated Teck Hwang's death and has followed the case ever since.

"Teck suffered horrendous injuries — all over his body he was covered in bruises," Clark told reporters after the sentencing decision. "Just an old-fashioned beating is what it was."

Clark said it's one of the worst domestic violence cases he has handled in his 37-year career.

"They can come here to court and get all these letters of support of 'She's the greatest person in the community,' but we don't know that," he said.

"Personal opinion, I don't think people like that have remorse. I don't think that's in them."

Clark described Teck Hwang as a "little man" who lived through a "typical spousal violence scenario" in which his wife had beaten him into submission over time.

In a separate incident in 2009, Hwang served a three-week sentence after being convicted of assaulting her husband.