Background
The later murder case was rooted in a 1996 neighborhood dispute. Zhang Koukou's mother, Wang Xiuping, died after being injured during an altercation involving Wang Zhengjun, who was then 17. Wang Zhengjun was convicted of intentional injury and sentenced to seven years in prison.
More than twenty years later, prosecutors said Zhang still held a grudge against the Wang family. The 1996 conviction explains the motive described by the courts, but it did not provide a legal justification for the 2018 killings.
The 2018 killings
On February 15, 2018, the eve of Lunar New Year, Zhang attacked Wang Zhengjun and Wang Xiaojun as the brothers were returning home. He then went to the Wang family residence and killed their father, Wang Zixin. The court also found that Zhang set fire to Wang Xiaojun's vehicle.
Zhang surrendered to police two days later. Although surrender can be relevant to sentencing under Chinese criminal law, the trial court found that the seriousness and planning of the offenses did not justify leniency.
Trial and appeal
On January 8, 2019, the Hanzhong Intermediate People's Court convicted Zhang of intentional homicide and property destruction. He received the death penalty and deprivation of political rights for life.
Zhang appealed. In April 2019, the Shaanxi High People's Court upheld the judgment, finding that the original ruling was supported by clear facts and sufficient evidence.
Supreme People's Court review and execution
Chinese death sentences require review by the Supreme People's Court. The top court approved Zhang's sentence, after which the Hanzhong Intermediate People's Court announced the decision and carried out the execution on July 17, 2019 under prosecutorial supervision.
The case attracted intense public discussion because of the long gap between the death of Zhang's mother and his later retaliation. The criminal judgment, however, treated the 2018 conduct as intentional homicide rather than lawful self-defense or any form of excusable retaliation.
Timeline
August 1996: Zhang's mother dies after a neighborhood dispute; Wang Zhengjun is later convicted of intentional injury.
February 15, 2018: Zhang kills Wang Zhengjun, Wang Xiaojun and Wang Zixin and burns a vehicle.
February 17, 2018: Zhang surrenders to police.
January 8, 2019: Hanzhong Intermediate People's Court convicts Zhang and sentences him to death.
April 2019: Shaanxi High People's Court dismisses his appeal and upholds the sentence.
July 17, 2019: after Supreme People's Court approval, Zhang is executed.
Current status
The case is classified as solved / adjudicated. Zhang Koukou's convictions survived appellate review, the Supreme People's Court approved the death sentence, and the sentence was carried out in July 2019.
Sources
- Supreme People's Court / China Daily — execution after top-court approval, July 18, 2019
- China Daily — Shaanxi High People's Court upholds death sentence, April 11, 2019
- China.org.cn / Xinhua — conviction and trial findings, January 9, 2019
- South China Morning Post — contemporary trial reporting and background, January 8, 2019