Chengdu woman sentenced for fatally stabbing neighbor

A woman with the surname Liang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for fatally stabbing a neighbor, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The Chengdu Intermediate People's Court in Sichuan province announced the first-instance verdict, convicting Liang of intentional homicide and depriving her of political rights for life. Liang, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was assessed as having partial criminal responsibility during the incident, it said.

The court found that Liang had repeatedly disturbed others in her residential community in Chengdu's Pidu district by arguing with family members, damaging property, and knocking on neighbors' doors without reason. Such behavior had previously led to police intervention, with officers instructing her family to supervise her closely.

On June 9, 2024, Liang knocked on the door of the 27-year-old victim, surnamed Wang. Through the peephole, Wang saw Liang spitting at her door and, via her mother, contacted community security personnel. When security arrived and tried to persuade Liang to leave, Wang opened the door to confront her, which later escalated into a quarrel and then a physical struggle in the doorway.

During the altercation, Liang used a knife she was carrying to stab and slash Wang in the left chest, head, face, and elsewhere. Wang hit Liang's head and face with a hollow ornament from a cabinet in the entryway. The security personnel's efforts to intervene were unsuccessful. Wang collapsed from her injuries and later died despite emergency treatment.

A forensic examination concluded that Wang died from acute massive blood loss after a single-bladed sharp object punctured her left lung. Liang sustained a fracture of the right nasal bone and frontal process of the maxilla, classified as a minor injury of the second degree, which is defined as non-life-threatening damage that causes mild structural or functional impairment and may affect appearance.

The court held that Liang's unreasonable knocking violated Wang's right to residential peace. Her subsequent use of a knife, resulting in Wang's death, constituted intentional homicide, warranting severe legal punishment. Liang did not surrender voluntarily, and her actions did not qualify as justifiable self-defense. Given her limited criminal responsibility at the time of the offense, the court applied a lighter penalty as prescribed by law. The sentence was based on the facts, nature, circumstances, and degree of social harm of the crime.

In an interview with Guangdong-based Nanfang Metropolis Daily in late November, Wang's mother said she also plans to take legal action against the community's property management.