'Body in freezer' killer appeals death sentence
The appeal trial of convicted murderer Zhu Xiaodong opened on Thursday at the Shanghai Higher People’s Court.
Zhu, 31, married Yang Liping in December 2015. One the morning of October 17, 2016, Zhu grabbed her by the throat in a dispute at their home in Hongkou District and choked her to death. He then stored her body in a freezer where it remained for three months.
Over that period he impersonated Yang and pretended she was still alive via SMS and WeChat messages. He also used her money to travel and checked into hotel rooms with other women.
Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to death in August.
Though he turned himself in to police on February 1, 2017, that day he also "recklessly" squandered money on "personal pleasure" and showed no remorse, according to the court.
In the appeal trail held on Thursday, Zhu said he was regretful and that he felt "so sorry" for Yang and her family, as well as his own.
Yang’s father rejected that plea, though: “I hope the court upholds the original verdict,” he said.
In the trial, Zhu’s lawyers claimed that Zhu killed Yang on impulse.
They also showed some of Yang’s Weibo posts as evidence to prove that she sometimes went to extremes. They argued that Yang’s personality to some extent triggered Zhu into violence.
Prosecutors, however, suggested the court upholds the original verdict because of clear facts and solid evidence.
The night Zhu killed Yang he concealed her body in the freezer and then went out to drink with his friend. He was determined to kill her, prosecutors argued.
Yang’s lawyers claim Zhu was well-prepared before the killing, and that he enjoyed a luxurious life afterwards.
The reason he finally turned himself over to police was that he realized he couldn’t conceal her death any longer and his mother told him it was the only way that he might escape death, Yan Jinjie, one of the two lawyers representing Yang said.
The final decision has yet to be made.
