Category Archives: Death Penalty & Legal Analysis in China

Hu Changqing Case

Hu Changqing Case: China’s First Vice-Provincial Official Executed for Corruption (2000)

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The Hu Changqing case was the first case since the beginning of reform and opening up in which a vice-provincial-level senior official was sentenced to death for economic crimes. Unlike most corruption cases, which are discovered through whistleblowing or audits, Hu Changqing’s downfall stemmed from an almost absurd “disappearance”—a vice governor who left his delegation without authorization during an official event, forged his identity, and vanished, thereby triggering alarm at the highest levels and subsequently unraveling a shocking network of power-for-money deals.

I. The Kunming “Disappearance”: A Vice Governor Becomes “Chen Fengqi”

In August 1999, the World Horticultural Exposition was held in Kunming. August 6 was Jiangxi Pavilion Day, and Hu Changqing, then Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, led a delegation to preside over the pavilion’s opening ceremony. By this time, Hu Changqing had actually already received orders to be transferred back to Beijing, but he repeatedly refused to hand over his work, ultimately citing the excuse that “the opening of the Jiangxi Pavilion at the Expo was originally part of my portfolio” and that he wanted to “bring things to a close” in Jiangxi.

On August 6, Hu Changqing, wearing a light-colored suit and a red tie, presided over … Read More

Suzhou Doctor Qiu Xiaoqiang Killed Wife Gu Su

Suzhou Doctor Qiu Xiaoqiang Killed Wife Gu Su with Ketamine on Mid-Autumn Festival 2003 — Autopsy, Murder Trial and Death Sentence

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On September 11, 2003, it was the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for families to reunite, admire the moon, and eat mooncakes. But for Professor Gu’s family in Suzhou, this day marked the beginning of their nightmare.

At 9:55 that evening, Professor Gu, who was about to go to bed, received a call from his eldest son-in-law Qiu Xiaoqiang, saying that he was taking his wife Gu Su to the hospital and asking Professor Gu to come quickly.

Professor Gu’s drowsiness immediately vanished. Gu Su was his eldest daughter. A month earlier, she had suddenly developed heart disease, and a week before that, she had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment once.

On September 4, a week earlier, when he and his wife hurried to the hospital, their daughter Gu Su was being taken into the emergency room.

At that time, Gu Su’s face was pale, and she was clutching her chest. When she saw her father Professor Gu, she tightly grasped his hand and said with all her strength, “Dad, save me quickly!”

Qiu Xiaoqiang was Professor Gu’s favored student and also his eldest son-in-law. Looking at Qiu Xiaoqiang waiting anxiously outside the emergency room, Professor … Read More

Shenzhen Family Murder 2013 1

Shenzhen Man Who Raped and Killed Daughter, Wife and Son Sentenced to Death: Full Case Timeline

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On the morning of February 19, 2013, at 10 a.m., police in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, received a report. The caller, Mr. Liang, had been unable to contact his sister Ms. Liang, his nephew, and his niece for several consecutive days. Worried that something had happened to the three of them, he called the police for help.

According to Mr. Liang, his sister Ms. Liang, shortly after the New Year holiday, took her son Yang Jun and daughter Yang Ying from Dongguan to Shenzhen to reunite with her husband Yang Fei. After his sister arrived in Shenzhen, Mr. Liang wanted to check on them out of concern, but for several days in a row he could not reach them. Mr. Liang also did not know where his brother-in-law Yang Fei lived, so he could not go looking for them himself.

After receiving the report, the police quickly retrieved Yang Fei’s temporary residence information in Shenzhen from their computer system and located his residence. After knocking on the door for a long time with no response, the police brought the landlord of the rental apartment and successfully opened the door. The police did not find anything unusual inside the apartment, and Yang … Read More

Gambling Addict An Zhihongs High Interest Loan Revenge Case

Murder and Burning of a Mother and Daughter in Datong: Gambling Addict An Zhihong’s High-Interest Loan Revenge Case

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In the early hours of April 6, 2011, a fire broke out in a residential building in the mining area of Datong City, Shanxi Province. After receiving the alarm, firefighters immediately rushed to the scene.

The fire started in a second-floor apartment of the residential building. When the firefighters had brought the fire under control and were about to enter the apartment to check whether anyone had been injured, they made an unexpected discovery. After breaking down the door, they found two bodies inside the apartment, which made what had originally seemed to be a small fire become extremely complicated. Who exactly were the two dead people?

After receiving the report, police officers from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Mining District Public Security Sub-bureau of the Datong Municipal Public Security Bureau also arrived at the scene. According to a preliminary investigation, both of the deceased had multiple fatal wounds. Because the fire had been extinguished in time, the two bodies were not badly burned. The police initially concluded that this was a case of murder followed by burning of the bodies.

The suspect set the fire in the early hours of April 6, and his intention was very clear: … Read More

Li Changkui Case

Li Changkui Case: Yunnan Man Executed for Raping and Murdering 18-Year-Old Girl and Her 3-Year-Old Brother

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Wang Jiafei was an 18-year-old girl living in Yingge Village, Maozu Township, Qiaojia County, Yunnan Province—a remote area surrounded by mountains, with poor transportation and a backward economy. Her father was Wang Tingli, her mother was Chen Lijin, and she had an older brother, Wang Jiachong, and a 3-year-old younger brother, Wang Jiahong. Her dream was to leave the mountains as soon as possible and live in Kunming, the provincial capital.

Villager Li Shunqiang had three sons, and Li Changkui was his youngest. Li Changkui and Wang Jiafei had known each other since childhood, and the two had once worked together in Kunming. During that time, Li Changkui developed feelings for Wang Jiafei and pursued her persistently. The two had lived together for a period.

Li Shunqiang said that when Li Changkui and Wang Jiafei were working together in Kunming, they liked each other and established a romantic relationship.

However, Wang Jiafei’s family did not agree with Li Shunqiang’s claim that the two were in a romantic relationship. They all said that it was merely Li Changkui’s one-sided wish.

Wang Jiafei’s father, Wang Tingli, said he strongly disliked Li Changkui. He believed that Li Changkui was already thirty years old, … Read More