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Police holding suspect in multiple murder

By Zhang Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-05 10:56

Beijing police yesterday confirmed that a 30-year-old male suspect was being held for allegedly killing his girlfriend, a friend and three family members on the New Year's Eve in Daxing district.

On Dec 31, Zhang Wei, from Wuchang, Heilongjiang province, and his girlfriend had dinner with a friend surnamed Shen in a restaurant in Jiugong area, Daxing district, according to local media reports.

After the dinner during which Zhang and Shen drank a lot of alcohol, Shen offered to send Zhang and his girlfriend back home. Shen was invited to come in for a chat, during which Shen made sarcastic remarks about Zhang.

Then two men quarrelled and fought. Zhang took a knife and stabbed Shen to death. When Zhang's girlfriend cried for help, he killed her.

It was reported that after Zhang sat in his flat silently for about an hour, he found Shen's home key from his body, and went to Shen's home to kill Shen's pregnant wife and his parents.

One of Shen's neighbors surnamed Li, who lives next to Shen's home, said that at 9:20 pm, a man used the key to open the door of Shen's flat but failed. He later knocked loudly on the door and shouted out a name. Shen's wife replied, "I've gone to bed," but Zhang became more irritable and kicked the door with his foot.

After Shen's wife opened the door, she shouted "go away" twice.

It then became quiet after fighting noises were heard for five minutes, Li said.

Police said that at half past nine that night, its hotline had received a call about the killing. They said that after the killing, Zhang tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists but was stopped by police.