CHINA: 3 MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF NANJING STUDENT

July 20, 2022:

Three men on 7 July 2022 were sentenced to death for the murder of Li Mouyue in Menghai county, Yunnan province.
Hong Qiao, one of the culprits, and Li, a student at Nanjing University, were engaged in a romantic relationship when she was murdered.
It is said that Hong and Li argued multiple times in the run-up to the murder and Hong had even planned to kill her several times before but was unsuccessful. 
On 6 July 2020, Hong began planning how he would murder Li with his friends, Zhang Chenguang and Cao Zeqing. 
The trio decided to kill Li in Pu’er Tea Park, Menghai county, Yunnan province and prepared money and tools for the murder. They bought cameras, military bags and helmets. Before the murder took place, the trio even ran numerous mock killings.
Hong managed to lure Li, who lived in Nanjing with her parents at the time, to come to Yunnan to see him. 
Li flew from Nanjing to Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan and then transferred to Menghai county. Hong then took her to the scene in Pu’er Tea Park.
Zhang and Cao then killed Li by breaking her neck and the three buried her body.
Li was reported missing on 9 July.
On 18 July 2020 police found Li’s body and after the initial investigation named Hong, Zhang and Cao as suspects in her murder.
Li’s father received compensation from Hong’s family, but he refused to take it and claimed that his only demand was for Hong to be severely punished.
On 7 July 2022, the Intermediate People's Court of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, sentenced Hong to death for intentional homicide. He was deprived of political rights for life, sentenced to two and a half years for theft and fined RMB10,000. 
Zhang and Cao were both given the death penalty with two years’ imprisonment for intentional homicide. They were also deprived of political rights for life.