Killer linked with notorious Jiangxi murder gets death penalty

A convicted killer linked with one of China’s biggest miscarriages of justice in recent years has been sentenced to death in Jiangxi province.

Fang Linzai carried out at least three homicides as well as multiple rapes and robberies over a 12-year period, starting in 1999, according to Jingdezhen Intermediate People’s Court, which issued the death penalty.

His crimes were “extremely cruel”, the court said in a statement on Sunday.

Fang is believed to be the real culprit in the rape and murder of a woman in Leping on May 23, 2000, for which four men were wrongly imprisoned for more than 10 years. However, that killing was not included among the list of charges heard in court.

In addition to the death sentence, Fang was ordered to pay 78,205 yuan ($12,390) in compensation to his victims’ families as well as a 15,000 yuan fine.

The defendant did not clearly state whether he would appeal the judgment, the court said.

Fang Chunping (no relation), Huang Zhiqiang, Cheng Lihe and Cheng Fagen were sentenced to death in 2004 for the Leping murder, with the punishment later commuted to life. Yet they continued to maintain their innocence.

The case rose to national attention in 2011 when police revealed that Fang Linzai had confessed to the killing after being detained on a kidnapping charge.

In December 2016, all four men were exonerated on appeal by the Jiangxi High People’s Court due to a lack of evidence. They each received 2.3 million yuan in compensation for their wrongful conviction and imprisonment.