CHINA / Regional
Shaanxi temple axe murderer gets death
By Ma Lie (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-20 08:25
XI'AN: A man who murdered 10 people at a temple in July was sentenced to
death on Thursday at Ankang Intermediate People's Court in Northwest
China's Shaanxi Province.
Qiu Xinghua, 47, who later killed another person and injured two more,
had 5,000 yuan (US$625) of personal property confiscated as compensation
for the relatives of the victims.
Qiu Xinghua
Upon hearing the verdict, Qiu said he would appeal, adding: "I am so
sorry for the victims and their relatives. I really regret it and hope
society will not discriminate against my family."
The case has attracted huge public attention, both for the brutality of
the slayings, and the fact that Qiu had no previous record of criminal
activity or mental health problems.
The local procuratorate charged that between June 18 and July 2, Qiu and
his wife He Ranfeng went to the local Tiewadian Temple on two occasions.
Qiu argued with Song Daocheng, a temple manager, who stopped him from
moving two objects.
"Qiu thought Xiong Wancheng, the chief of the temple, took liberties with
his wife during their stay at the temple, and so he angrily made a plan
to kill the people there and destroy the temple," Li Decai, public
procurator of the People's Procuratorate, read in the indictment.
On July 14, Qiu returned to the temple and killed all 10 people there in
the middle of the night with an axe. The victims, nine males and one
female, aged between 12 and 62, included Xiong and Song. On the night of
July 15 Qiu burnt the temple to the ground and escaped, the indictment
said.
On July 31, Qiu injured a farmer named Wei Yikai and his wife Xu Kaixiu
and daughter Wei Jinmei in Suizhou, Hubei, a neighbouring province of
Shaanxi, near Qiu's home town. Wei died of serious injury on September 9,
Li said
Qiu Xinghua stands the trial in a court in Ankang, Shaanxi province in
northwest China October 19, 2006. He was sentenced to death in the
hearing of the first instance. [huashphoto]
Qiu also stole 1,302 yuan (US$163) from Wei, the procurator said.
Prosecutors indicted Qiu on charges of intentional murder and robbery.
With a large number of witnesses and physical evidence, Qiu confessed to
the crimes.
According to Zhao Xiaoxu, the presiding judge and vice-president of the
court, the collegiate bench found that the facts were clear and there was
ample evidence.
Zhang Yong, Qiu's lawyer, said that although his client was charged with
11 deaths, the law stipulates that all people have the right to appeal.
"I met with Qiu twice before the trial, and I found that his mind was
very clear and he wrote a defence of his own. I think the evidence
provided by local procurators was very clear," Zhang said.
According to a court source, no relatives of Qiu or the victims attended
the trial.
"But we arranged for Qiu to meet with his son Qiu Donghai on Wednesday.
He told his son to study hard and be a good man," said Qin Kangjian,
director of Ankang Public Security Bureau.
According to a local newspaper Chinese Business View, Qiu Donghai said
that his father looked healthy and was writing his life story.
"He has written dozens of pages, describing his poor life and various
tough experiences," Qiu Donghai was quoted as saying.
Qiu was arrested by local police on August 19, 35 days after the temple
killings.
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