Finding footing after freedom

TIMELINE

October 1993
The bodies of two boys are found in a reservoir in a village in Jinxian, a county in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. A few days later, Zhang Yuhuan, a neighbor of the victims, is named as a suspect and detained.

January 1995
The Nanchang Intermediate People's Court sentences Zhang to death with a two-year reprieve for the crime of intentional homicide, as the crime of murder does not exist under Chinese law. That means his sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment after he serves two years without committing a new offense. Zhang appeals to a higher court.

March 1995
The Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court sends the case back to the intermediate court, ordering a retrial due to insufficient evidence.
November 2001

The intermediate court hears the case again, but upholds the original ruling. Zhang appeals to the high court again, but the appeal is rejected.

March 2019
After years of appealing, Zhang persuades the high court to retry the case.

July 2019
The case is retried in the high court. During the trial, the provincial prosecutors recommend that the court acquits Zhang due to insufficient evidence.

August 2020
The high court overturns the original judgment, finding Zhang not guilty and setting him free.