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German Citizen Sentenced to Death in China for Double Murder

Posted: 08/23/2014 9:31 pm

marco polo hotelThe German government has vowed to do “everything in its power” to prevent the death of a German national sentenced to death by a Chinese court. The sentence announced on August 20 by a Xiamen, Fujian court follows a 2011 conviction, in which the German citizen was found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend and her partner.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schäfer said Berlin is doing everything it can to stay the execution:

The German government categorically opposes all forms of capital punishment … and this of course applies all the more when German nationals are threatened abroad. Therefore, I can assure you that the federal government will do everything within its power with the aim that this sentence … if at all possible, is not carried out or that it is changed.

The death penalty was abolished in West Germany in 1949 and in East Germany in 1987.

Before the man can be put to death, the judgment must be confirmed by a higher court and then by China’s Supreme Court.

The convicted murderer has been identified as 36 year-old “Philipp B” from Teisendorf in Bavaria by the German press, but as “Phillip Martin” by What’s On Xiamen when the murders first took place.

Philipp B is guilty of murdering 29 year-old Venezuelan national “Jennifer M” and 39 year-old German national “Jörn-Christian H” with a hammer and knife in an alley near the Marco Polo Hotel in Xiamen at night on June 6, 2010.

Philipp B had studied sinology with his ex-girlfriend in Munich before they broke up in 2005. The victim went to study in Xiamen in 2006, and it is believed the killer stalked “Jennifer M” and followed her to Xiamen with the intention to commit murder.

Philipp B’s lawyer Chen Liqun said no decision has been made yet regarding a possible appeal. If the man is executed, he would be the first German national put to death since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Photo: Hotel Ungou

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Teens Charged With Killing Chinese Grad Student in California Plead Not Guilty

Posted: 08/14/2014 9:28 am

ji xinran trial murder usc exchange student china Four teens charged with the grizzly murder of a University of Southern California grad student from China have pleaded not guilty, reports the Los Angeles Times. The suspects are accused of the July 24 fatal beating of 24 year-old Ji Xinran, who was attacked with a baseball bat as he walked home from a study group.

Jonathan Del Carmen, 19; Andrew Garcia, 18; Alberto Ochoa, 17; and Alejandra Guerrero, 16 have all entered a plea of not guilty. The suspects are to be held without bail until their next hearing on September 12.

Garcia and Del Carmen could potentially face the death penalty. As minors, the other defendants are too young to be given capital punishment.

Some 150 students, friends, supporters came to the Los Angeles courthouse to attend the hearing.

In 2012, two Chinese exchange students of USC were shot and killed as they sat in their car during a botched robbery.

ji xinran trial murder usc exchange student china

Photos: LA Times

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Foreigner Stabbed to Death Outside a Nightclub in Fujian

Posted: 06/17/2014 6:27 pm

foreigner stabbed to death fuzhouA male foreigner was stabbed to death outside a nightclub in Fuzhou, Fujian in the early morning of June 16, reports Xinhua.

The foreigner, a black man, was beaten and stabbed by a number of attackers following a short chase around 4am near Yuefeng Tower on the north side of Fuxin Road.

An eyewitness said he was making a phone call nearby when he heard a commotion behind him. After turning around, he saw a man with dark skin run out from the entertainment club chased by a crowd of people, some of whom were armed with knives.

According to a source, the deceased is a foreigner around 30 years old. The exact circumstances of what transpired remain sketchy, but some witnesses say the foreigner was involved in intimate contact with a 20 year-old woman inside the club when he was told to leave. A group then began to chase him.

Though the man’s nationality is currently unknown, some media outlets like 80121.cn have labeled the man as “Fuzhou’s black laowai”.

Police are currently conducting an investigation.

Photo: Xinhua

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Nanfang Week in Review, May 31-June 7

Posted: 06/8/2014 5:00 pm

dameisha beach dragon boat festival holiday weekend guangdong people crowdsHere’s what last week looked like here at the Nanfang:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Monday:childhood memor japanese culture anime cartoon heros

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:expat dancing auntie

Saturday:

Photos: Nanfang

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Random Knife Attack in Dongguan Leaves One Girl Dead, Another Injured

Posted: 06/5/2014 11:12 am

dongguan street crossing stabbing[This story contains violent content that may offend some readers]

One person is dead and another is injured after two teenaged girls were stabbed when crossing the road to return to their shift at a Dongguan shoe factory, reported Southern Metropolis Daily.

On the evening of June 3 at around 6:50pm, two female workers were returning to work after shopping at a mall. They were crossing Dongmen Middle Road at the intersection of Shuanglong Road, in Xiaobian Neighborhood, Chang’an County when they were attacked at the median.

One victim died at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Nearby witnesses say someone shouted, “There’s a stabbing”, at which time many workers that were also crossing the street dispersed.

An eyewitness said victims were stabbed by a man wearing black clothes using a knife with a blade 40cm long.

The injured victim says she does not recognize the suspect, and Chang’an police have described the case as a “random stabbing”.

The suspect is still currently at large.

dongguan street crossing stabbingdongguan street crossing stabbing

In other knife attacks around Guangdong province, two people are dead and one is injured following a dispute over the ordering of food at a small eatery in Shaoguan. The incident occurred on May 4 at 3pm at a restaurant on Daxue Road, Zhenjiang District.

Dead are the female proprietor and a peddler from a nearby store. A suspect named Zhong, 26 years-old, is in police custody.shaoguan stabbing zhenjiangshaoguan stabbing zhenjiangshaoguan stabbing zhenjiang

Photos: Sohu via Weibo, 21cn, Southern Metropolis Report via Weibo

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Corpses of HK Man’s 2nd Family Hidden in Shenzhen Apt for 14 Years

Posted: 06/4/2014 8:00 am

For 14 years, a Hong Kong man surnamed Jian has managed to keep the bodies of his mistress and his two-year-old son hidden in a rented Shenzhen apartment without raising any suspicion.

Jian’s apartment in Shenzhen where the bodies were discovered after 14 years.

The bodies were only discovered after Jian requested his landlord send a helper to clean his two-bedroom apartment located on the top floor of an 8-storey building on Lianhua North Road in Buji during his absence. On May 3, the helper detected a foul smell coming from a bag underneath the bed. When she opened the bag, she found decomposed human bones, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Jian allegedly killed his mistress and his own son in May 2000. At that time, Jian’s gambling debts finally caught up with him, and they competed against the monthly RMB 2,000 allowance his Shenzhen family required. Jian needed to choose between them because the third responsibility Jian was not able to evade was his family in Hong Kong, which included two children.

One day after lunch, Jian strangled his mistress and son to death while they were taking an afternoon nap and wrapped their bodies in a nylon bag. After the murders, Jian moved out of the apartment. He stuffed the corpses into a large home appliance shipping crate without raising any suspicion from home movers, the report said.

No one from the mistress’ family ever reported her as a missing person throughout the past 14 years. She had long lost contact with rural family members, and the landlord did not bother to check his tenant since the rent was always paid on time, according to the report.

Jian, described by his mother as “timid”, was arrested in Shenzhen in May shortly after the landlord called the police.

The area of Buji, often referred to as “Little Hong Kong” and located in the north end of Shenzhen, was dubbed a “mistress village” during the 1980s and 90s. Many cross-border drivers and office clerks from Hong Kong led a different life with their mistress there, according to South China Morning Post.

Home page and content page image: Southern Metropolis Daily 

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Man Kills Himself in Frenzied Gun Battle With Hong Kong Police

Posted: 06/3/2014 6:05 pm

gun standoff hong kong battle fight shootingA pitched gun battle against Hong Kong’s elite police forces on June 1 has ended with a murder suspect dying from a gunshot wound.

Dead is 51 year-old Li Deren. Police say Li shot himself, presumably with his own gun.

The suicide comes after an hour-long standoff with police in which shots were intermittently fired throughout.

Police with dogs, gas masks and sub-machine guns were seen converging upon the apartment complex in Choi Hung District at around 11am as crowds and reporters were continually pushed away from the scene and moved behind cover.

The suspect was seen at one point outside his own apartment window, holding a gun to his own head.

After two police officers were seen rappelling down the side of the high-rise apartment building, a frenzied gun fight took place with as many as 20 shots fired, according to some media outlets. Bright flashes and smoke could be seen coming through the window of the suspect’s apartment.

Li was wanted in conjunction with a shooting murder that took place at the same apartment complex.  On May 31 at 11pm, an air conditioning technician was shot three times in the chest after a heated argument that took place in the elevator atrium.

Current developments indicate the suspect is the father of Li Yuetong, a woman involved in an extra-marital affair with director Peng Xun, himself married to film star Li Xinhao. However, no direct connection to the case has been established yet.

gun standoff hong kong battle fight shootinggun standoff hong kong battle fight shootinggun standoff hong kong battle fight shooting

Photos: Shenzhen Police via Weibo, People’s Daily

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Woman Beaten to Death at McDonald’s for Refusing to Give Her Phone Number [GRAPHIC, UPDATED]

Posted: 05/30/2014 9:27 pm

mcdonalds victim gang beating death phone number rejection[This story contains violent and graphic images that may offend some readers]

UPDATE: Several of the details provided here are out of date, and have been compiled in another story, “McDonald’s Cult Leader Gets TV Interview, More Details of Deadly Attack Emerge“]

This is a terrible story, and does not end well.

Miss Wu has out having dinner at McDonald’s on May 28 in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province.

Mr Zhang was also at that McDonald’s. Zhang was there having dinner with his friends, and upon seeing Wu, Zhang asked her for her phone number. Wu refused, and perhaps because he had lost face in front of his friends, Zhang may not have reacted well to this rejection.

An argument broke out. Then, a physical dispute. Then, all of Zhang’s friends joined in. They beat her, violently. As described by a Weibo user named @无主蜜桃 who was an eyewitness, Zhang and his friends kicked her in the head when Wu was lying on the ground. Then, they used an iron bar to strike her head. They continued until the iron bar broke.

Emergency responders confirmed that Wu died at the scene. Except for this very brief and violent conflict, Wu and Zhang were total strangers.

The Weibo eyewitness describes this incident occurring from 9:10pm to 9:30pm. The McDonald’s is located across the street from a local police station.

No one was reported to have tried to help the victim.

mcdonalds victim gang beating death phone number rejectionmcdonalds victim gang beating death phone number rejectionmcdonalds victim gang beating death phone number rejectionmcdonalds victim gang beating death phone number rejection

Here is some live video at the scene, but it is very shaky and does not show many details. However, it does align with what a number of bystanders said they saw.

UPDATE 11:52am May 31, 2014. The People’s Daily Online has a very different take on this story, reporting the six people involved in the attack as all part of an “evil cult” who were trying to enlist a new member.

Of the people arrested, one is still a minor and can’t be charged as an adult. The rest will be charged with intentional homicide.

CCTV reports that the attackers had warned spectators to refrain from intervening by saying, “We’ll kill anyone who gets involved!” as well as saying horrible things to the victim like “[once I kill you,] you’ll never come back in the next life”.

Photos: Weibo (2)

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Addicted to Video Games, Man Murders Panyu Family of Six, Details Released

Posted: 05/15/2014 5:41 pm

panyu family murderer video gamesMore details are being released in the April 28 murders in Panyu, Guangdong in which a family of six spanning three generations were murdered in a botched early morning home invasion robbery.

A 29 year-old divorced Henan man surnamed Su was caught on May 3 and confessed he had staged the burglary at the Song family residence in order help pay for his addiction to an online video game.

With the arrest of the suspect approved on May 13, explanations to how Su was able to murder the six victims by himself are now being reported.

READ: Thief Murders Panyu Family of Six to Pay for Video Game Addiction

Though Su has no prior criminal record and is said to never have committed a crime before, the suspect had the forethought to bring three weapons along with him on this burglary in which he would be stealing things to take back with him: two knives and a hammer.

The Song family comprises of six members: Mr Song, his wife, his grandfather and his grandmother, and his two children, a five year-old girl and a two year-old boy. The Songs live on the top floor of an apartment building in Dashijie, Panyu.

panyu murder evidence

With the use of a safety rope at 3 am on April 28, Su was able to access entry to the victims’ residence through an unlocked window that he somehow knew was open before he got there. Upon entering the residence, Su found that he was in the guest bedroom where he discovered grandfather Song sleeping. Su then took out his hammer to knock out the sleeping man, but upon doing so, instead woke him up.

A fight broke out between the two men, and other family members came running to confront the intruder. However, all four adults were incapacitated by this one man.

As police explain, the suspect was able to dispatch the adult victims because of the large size of the Song household (100 sqm), and that they were equally spread out in separate bedrooms in pairs. But as the report details, each of the four adults came running as fast as they could upon hearing the disturbance of the fight.

READ: Guangdong Teen Murders Aunt Because She Criticized Him 
for Playing Video Games

With the four adults taken care of, the suspect Su went to clean himself in the bathroom. It was at that time he heard the crying of the two Song children, and so decided to kill them as well.

Su remained at the crime scene for an additional 17 hours and only left at 8pm the next night. Police say Su did this in order to destroy evidence of the crimes.

For everything that Su had allegedly done, his earnings from this crime spree consist of 6,000 yuan, a gold bracelet, and the victims’ bank account cards.

Su wanted to use the proceeds of this crime to raise the stats of his equipment in an unnamed competitive online video game.

Related:
Obscene Content May Be Banned From Chinese Video Game Ads

Photos: Weibo (1, 2)

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Thief Murders Panyu Family of Six to Pay for Video Game Addiction

Posted: 05/5/2014 8:00 am

panyu family murder video games addictionThe shocking case of the murder of a Panyu family of six that included two children has resulted in a suspect being arrested, reports Sina.

The suspect, named Su, is 29 years-old and hails from Taikang County in Henan Province. Su was apprehended at 5am on May 3 at his residence in an industrial area in Guangdong. There, police discovered the victims’ stolen belongings: 6,000 yuan, a gold bracelet, and bank account cards (see below).

READ: Guangdong Teen Murders Aunt Because She Criticized Him
for Playing Video Games

The suspect had allegedly broken into the residence in Dashijie District in Panyu at 3am on April 28 to rob it, at which time he apparently decided to kill the entire family.

panyu murder evidence

The bodies of the victims were found the next day on April 29 at 3pm. Dead are a Mr Song, his wife, their son and daughter, and the children’s grandparents. The girl is reported to have been five years-old, while the youngest victim is a boy who was just two years-old.

From the time we first brought you this story, details have continually been sparse. However, police have finally revealed the motive of the crime: Su needed money to purchase better equipment for an online video game to which he was reportedly addicted.

Su is facing criminal charges.

Photos: Weibo (1, 2)

Related:
Obscene Content May Be Banned From Chinese Video Game Ads

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