Death sentence upheld for son who killed mom

The death sentence handed down to a former Peking University student who killed his mother was upheld by the Fujian High People's Court on Wednesday.

The high court heard Wu Xieyu's appeal on May 19, more than 20 months after he was convicted of intentional homicide, fraud and the illegal purchase of identity cards. The 28-year-old was given the death penalty and fined 103,000 yuan ($14,600) by the Intermediate People's Court in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province.

According to the original ruling, Wu thought the life of his 48-year-old mother, Xie Tianqin, was meaningless after his father died of an illness, so he prepared to kill her in early 2015 and bought items online for this purpose.

On July 10 that year, when Xie arrived home, Wu hit her repeatedly in the head and face with a dumbbell, resulting in her death. He fled the scene after wrapping her body in 75 layers, including bedsheets, plastic sheets and activated carbon bags.

To cover up the killing, Wu "borrowed" 1.44 million yuan from his relatives and friends, telling them he and his mother would need the money as she accompanied him while he traveled overseas to study. In reality, he squandered the money. To hide his identity and avoid arrest, he also purchased more than 10 ID cards.

The family became suspicious when Xie failed to contact them for an extended period of time. They found her body on Feb 14,2016, in her faculty dormitory apartment at a middle school she worked at in Fuzhou.

Local police named Wu as a suspect and offered a reward for information leading to his arrest in March 2016. He was finally captured in Chongqing in April 2019 after being on the run for more than three years.

In December 2020, he stood trial at the intermediate court, and it handed down the death sentence against him in August 2021.

On Tuesday, the high court said that after considering the facts, it came to the same conclusion as the intermediate court, pointing out that Wu's behavior constituted the crimes of intentional homicide, fraud and the illegal purchase of ID cards.

"His killing was premeditated, and he purchased tools to prepare for the crime," the high court said. "The method that he used to kill his mother was extremely cruel, and he even cheated his relatives and friends out of money by pretending she was still alive."

It noted that Wu's actions had seriously violated the law and family ethics and had a strong negative impact on society.

"He had the ability to know right from wrong and control himself while committing the crimes," the court said.

It upheld the original verdict, saying it was made based on sufficient evidence with the correct application of law and appropriate sentencing. The litigation process was also in line with the law, it concluded.

A video posted by China Central Television showed that Wu remained silent and stone-faced after hearing the court's ruling.

The death sentence will be submitted to the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, for review before the execution is carried out.