Society

Pianist appeals death sentence for murder

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-05 20:50

XI'AN -- A Chinese student who was sentenced to death for murdering a woman to cover up that he had accidentally run into her with his car had appealed the verdict, a local court said Thursday.

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Yao Jiaxin, 21, a student at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, was proven guilty of murdering Zhang Miao, the mother of a two-year-old boy, in Xi'an City, capital of the northwestern province of Shaanxi last October to prevent her from reporting the accident to the police. The case aroused widespread public fury.

A spokesman for the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court, which handed down the first-instance sentence on April 22, said the court would deliver Yao's appeal to the Higher People's Court of Shaanxi Province as soon as possible.

Zhang Miao's relatives were notified of the appeal but they were not aware of Yao's reason for the appeal, said Zhang Xian, attorney of the victim's family.

"Zhang's family are following the case closely and are waiting for further notice from the higher court," Zhang added.