Photo:VCG

The first-instance verdict of the intentional homicide case involving three juvenile suspects Zhang, Li, and Ma, for the killing of a classmate at a junior high school was announced on Monday by Handan Intermediate People’s Court in North China’s Hebei Province, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Defendant Zhang was sentenced to life imprisonment for intentional homicide, with lifelong deprivation of political rights. Defendant Li was sentenced to 12 years in prison for intentional homicide. Defendant Ma was exempted from criminal punishment in accordance with the law.

The Handan Intermediate People’s Court and the Handan People’s Procuratorate have put forward judicial and prosecutorial suggestions. Following evaluation and approval by the special education guidance committee, the relevant public security and education authorities have decided to place Ma under specialized correctional education, according to Xinhua.

The court found that the defendants, Zhang and Li (both 13 years old at the time of the crime), were in conflict with their classmate Wang (the victim, who was 13 years old). After Zhang proposed the idea, the two plotted multiple times to murder Wang and split his money. Zhang selected an abandoned vegetable greenhouse as the crime scene and prepared in advance by bringing a shovel to dig a grave.

On the afternoon of March 10, 2024, Zhang lured Wang out. As Li needed to charge his electric bicycle at the home of another defendant, Ma (also 13 years old at the time). Li rode Ma’s electric bicycle with Ma, while Zhang rode his own electric bicycle with Wang, heading to the vegetable greenhouse that Zhang had chosen.

During the trip, Li, under Zhang’s instruction, informed Ma about their plan to kill Wang. Once inside the greenhouse, Zhang was the first to attack Wang with the shovel, while Li helped to restrain Wang. Ma, witnessing the situation, left the greenhouse. After Zhang and Li killed Wang, they buried Wang’s body. The three defendants fled the scene on their electric bicycles. Zhang transferred funds from victim Wang’s WeChat account to Zhang’s own and shared them with Li. Zhang instructed Ma to destroy Wang’s SIM card and asked Li to discard Wang’s phone.

After the incident, Ma was the first to confess and led the police to the burial site, according to Xinhua.

The court believes that the defendants Zhang and Li intentionally took another person’s life, and their actions constitute the crime of intentional homicide. The method was particularly brutal, and the process was exceptionally egregious. At the time of the crime, they were over 12 years old but under 14 years old. They should bear criminal responsibility according to the Criminal Law, according to the court. 

The court believes that Zhang proposed to commit murder and mustered others to participate, preparing for the crime in advance, and directly carried out actions that resulted in the victim’s death. Zhang is regarded as the principal offender bearing the greatest responsibility for the crime.

Li actively participated in the conspiracy and the murder, and afterwards shared the stolen money with Zhang. In the joint crime, Li is also regarded as a principal offender, but with lesser culpability than Zhang.

Global Times