Murder trial held in 1987 cold case

A murder trial was held in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on Wednesday for a 1987 case in which six people were killed.

The two defendants, surnamed Jiang and Xue, were accused of murder and robbery to repay gambling debts.

Prosecutors said that Jiang and Xue laced the wines that the six fishermen drank with tranquilizer pills, then killed them with hammers and dumped their bodies in the sea. They also stole approximately 7,000 yuan ($960).

The defendants were arrested in 2022 based on fingerprint matches.

Due to the fact that more than 20 years had passed since the crime was committed in 1987, which passed the time limitation of criminal prosecutions, the Supreme People's Procuratorate approved the prosecution of this case in May this year.

The prosecutor recommended the death penalty for both defendants, saying that they had planned the crime, showed extremely malicious intent, and used brutal methods.

The trial lasted for a whole day due to the complexity and significance of the case. The verdict will be announced at a later date.