Letter asks for leniency in poisoning case

More than 170 students from Fudan University signed a petition pleading for leniency for a former postgraduate student who received the death sentence in February for killing his roommate by poisoning.

The students are mainly from the university's law and medical schools. They sent the petition to Shanghai High People's Court, asking the court to spare the life of Lin Senhao, 28, who was a medical postgraduate student at the university.

A law school postgraduate student surnamed Wu drafted the letter with a professor and other students. It said that Lin should be punished, but also noted he was not a ruthless killer.