Crime

Three Children Face Death Penalty After Beating Classmate To Death in Northern China

Heartbroken father calls for death penalty for three children who beat his 13-year-old boy to death leaving him ‘disfigured beyond recognition’: ‘I hope they pay with their lives’

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

Stella Charles Akupue

Three Children Face Death Penalty After Beating Classmate To Death in Northern China

Three children in northern China’s Hebei province are facing the death penalty after they brutally beat their 13-year-old classmate to death last month.

The victim, identified only as Wang, was subjected to relentless bullying by the assailants over an extended period before the fatal attack, leaving his body disfigured beyond recognition.

Wang’s father took to Douyin, a Chinese social media platform, to express his hope for a fair and just punishment for the perpetrators, emphasizing that they should face the ultimate consequence for their actions.

‘He was beaten alive and his body was disfigured beyond recognition,’ Wang’s father wrote on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform. ‘I hope the government will be fair, open and just, punish them severely, and that the killers will pay with their lives.’

Surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the tragedy, showing Wang surrounded by his three classmates on March 10 before his phone went dead, prompting a frantic search by relatives.

Tragically, Wang’s lifeless body was discovered by the police the following day, concealed beneath a tarp in an abandoned vegetable greenhouse. Authorities confirmed that the murder occurred on March 10, and the suspects were apprehended the next day.

Incident Highlights Concerns Over Bullying and Justice for Minors in China

Investigations revealed that the crime was premeditated, with the perpetrators digging a pit on two separate occasions before carrying out the fatal assault.

Reports from Wang’s relatives and their legal representatives shed light on the pervasive bullying Wang endured, including instances of extortion leading up to his untimely death.

Wang’s relatives and their attorney said in interviews with Chinese media and in posts on social media that the boy had long been a victim of bullying and was forced to give money to one of his classmates before he was killed.

They said police identified the suspected killers after reviewing the surveillance footage and questioning the classmates.

The provincial prosecutor said today that it had received a police request last month to criminally try the suspects, surnamed Zhang, Li and Ma.

It said it had concluded that the three were between 12 and 14 when they ‘intentionally committed murder, causing the death of the victim, Wang’.

‘The circumstances were serious, and they should be held criminally responsible,’ the provincial office said, adding that the country’s top public prosecutor had reviewed the decision.

‘While handling cases strictly under the law, the procuratorial organs will… further strengthen the prevention and treatment of juvenile crimes,’ the provincial prosecutor continued.

The grim details of the case, in which the killers buried Wang’s body in an abandoned greenhouse, drew public attention to how the law deals with juveniles accused of serious crimes.

In 2021, China lowered its age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 for ‘ special cases’ such as inflicting death by ‘extremely cruel means’, which means the boys can be held responsible for the murder.

Under Chinese law, murder is punishable by imprisonment or the death penalty.

As the investigation unfolds, the justice system will determine the appropriate punishment for the perpetrators based on the gravity of their offence and the principles of justice and accountability.

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