Just 2 days short of the second anniversary of her murder, the killers of a Nanjing college student have been handed the death penalty as the “trial of the century” came to a close in faraway Yunnan, scene for the girl’s death at the hand of her boyfriend and two others.
The Intermediate People’s Court of Xishuangbanna Prefecture of Yunnan Province publicly sentenced the three defendants this morning, 7 July. They had been found guilty of the murder of the 21-year-old-female Nanjing college student surnamed Li.
Hong Qiao (洪峤), who Li thought to be her boyfriend, together with Zhang Chenguang (张晨光) and Cao Zeqing (曹泽青) were all sentenced to the death penalty, reports The Paper.
Further humiliation was also handed down to the guilty parties, in the form of the deprivation of political rights for life, suspended-prison sentences for theft and fines amounting to ¥10,000 each.
Their victim had been lured to Yunnan from Nanjing under false pretences by her supposed boyfriend, together with the other two male friends. Once there, Hong instructed the others to kill Li.
Afterward, Hong pretended to help Li’s parents to find their daughter. Upon their arrival in Nanjing, he took Li’s father to an Apple Store to allegedly locate her mobile phone, but to no avail. Later the same day, Hong even accompanied Li’s parents to Nanjing’s Maqun Police Station to report her disappearance.
Upon hearing the Court’s decision, father of the victim, Li Sheng, said, “Thanks to the court, this is a fair and just judgment, which gives our family a comfort, and an explanation to netizens all over the country. Thank you!”.
After the trial, dramatic scenes unfolded outside the courthouse. Choking up, Li told reporters he and his wife would go to Menghai, scene of the murder in Yunnan, as soon as possible, to tell their daughter the result of the judgment. “My daughter is the biggest treasure in my heart. The 2 years after I lost her have been the most painful”, he said.
Li also remarked that he had paid special attention to Hong’s expression and reaction during the sentencing. “When he listened to the sentence, he was very calm. For such a cruel thug, he held up very well psychologically to conceal his guilt. His was a high-IQ crime”, he said.
Li’s father then pointed to the future, saying he will hold hands together with his wife, to somehow carry on, and to live well, which is exactly what his daughter would have hoped to see.
