A young man who murdered his mother in 2015, a high-profile case as he was a student at the prestigious Peking University, was sentenced to death by a court in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, on Thursday. Photo: CCTV

A young man who murdered his mother in 2015, a high-profile case as he was a student at the prestigious Peking University, was sentenced to death by a court in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, on Thursday.

Wu Xieyu was found guilty of intentional homicide, fraud, and buying and selling of fake ID cards by the court, according to the court's website.

He was also deprived of political rights for life and fined 103,000 yuan ($15,892).

Wu, who was "pessimistic and weary of the world," wanted to commit suicide after his father died of illness, and he believed that his mother Xie Tianqin's life was meaningless, so he decided to kill her. He purchased tools online in the first half of 2015, according to the court.

At about 5 pm on July 10, 2015, when Xie returned home to change shoes, Wu killed her by hitting her head and face with a dumbbell bar. Then he placed 75 layers of coverings on Xie, such as bed sheets, plastic film, and deodorant bags.

Wu lied to relatives and friends, saying that Xie was going to accompany him to study abroad. Wu defrauded relatives and friends of 1.44 million yuan as money for living expenses, tuition fees, and financial proof.

In order to avoid investigation, he purchased more than 10 ID cards to conceal his identity. 

On his sentencing, the court said that "Wu's murder of his mother seriously violated family ethnics and trampled on the normal emotions of humans. The case has extremely bad impact on the society."

Wu was arrested on April 21 at Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing Municipality.