An eldercare worker who admitted killing a 97-year-old man because she wanted to receive her salary quicker has been sentenced to death by a court in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

Chen Yuping gave sleeping pills to the victim, identified only as Feng, and then strangled him as he lay unconscious just hours after she started work as his caregiver.

The mother of two, who is in her 40s, arrived for her first day of work at Feng's home in the city's Panyu district on Jan 6, 2015. At 2 am the next day, a relative discovered the elderly man dead and called the police.

An autopsy found traces of sleeping pills in his stomach and signs of strangulation on his neck.

Chen was detained but initially denied any involvement in Feng's death. She later confessed that she had drugged and strangled him because she wanted to collect her salary and return home for Chinese New Year.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court heard testimony that the victim's family had promised to pay Chen a full month's salary even if she did not see out the entire month.

Chen, who is from Yingde, about 140 kilometers north of Guangzhou, was sentenced to death and ordered to pay 38,329 yuan ($5,550) in compensation to the victim's family.

In court, Chen's husband of 25 years testified that his wife was narrow-minded and driven by money. Her younger sister said she was introverted.

A witness surnamed Xu, from the eldercare agency Chen worked for, said the defendant preferred to work with elderly people with critical illnesses and suggested she may have had a hand in the deaths of other patients.

The court confirmed that it had set aside some allegations against Chen because of a lack of evidence. The Guangzhou public security bureau declined to comment on the case.