Executed: student who killed hit-and-run victim
By Wang Qingchu |
June 8, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The student who stabbed a woman to death after knocking her down with his car last October was executed yesterday morning in Xi'an, capital of northwestern China's Shaanxi Province.
Yao Jiaxin, the 21-year-old former Xi'an Conservatory of Music piano student, was seen in chains and weeping while signing documents before he was escorted by police to the place of execution in a video clip aired on China Central Television.
The Shaanxi Province Higher People's Court upheld the death sentence on May 20 after rejecting Yao's appeal against the ruling by the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court on April 22.
Yao stabbed Zhang Miao repeatedly after he spotted her noting his car plate number after the accident.
The lower court sentenced Yao to death for murder and ordered him to pay 45,498.50 yuan (US$7,023) compensation to Zhang's family. The court dismissed a plea for leniency by Yao's lawyer, who said the student had surrendered himself to police and killed Zhang in the heat of passion.
"Yao stabbed the victim's chest, stomach and back several times until she died. The motive was extremely despicable, the measures extremely cruel and the consequences extremely serious," the judgment said.
Yesterday's execution sparked a wave of heated debate online.
On his microblog, real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi wrote: "I pray for Yao" and "There is an inexplicit sadness after watching the news of his execution on CCTV." His personal page was soon flooded with comments accusing Pan of taking the side of a murderer. Later, Pan said he felt sad for Yao's father.
Last month, five professors from several Xi'an universities signed a petition against Yao's death sentence, saying the case was heard in a biased media environment.
"The trial was conducted when the public was under an irrational mental state," said Wang Xin, one of the five professors, in a report on Hsw.cn, the Shaanxi news portal.
Other online commentators said the death sentence upheld justice and safeguarded the law and judicial authority. "If we have to name a winner in Yao's case, I think it's the victory of judicial justice. Other individuals are all losers," said Li Qianfan on Dayoo.com.
In an online poll which attracted almost 40,000 responses on weibo.com, 66 percent said the death sentence safeguarded the authority of laws and 19 percent said they were very satisfied with the ruling while 12 percent thought it was dangerous when the media environment took precedence over the law.
Meanwhile, Yao's father Yao Qingwei said on his microblog that he had not been allowed to see the body of his son and could only get his ashes after he was cremated.
He had left 200,000 yuan for the victim's son and her parents when he visited them on May 26.
But Zhang's parents later returned the money. Yao's father said he would save the money in a special account and the family could have it at any time.
He rejected claims made by the bereaved family's lawyer, Zhang Xian, about their family background and economic conditions and said he retained the right to take legal action against him for what he claimed were untrue accusations.
"Zhang Xian made up many stories to label Yao as the second generation of an affluent family and high-ranking government officials in an attempt to arouse public anger toward Yao," the student's father said on his microblog on May 31.
Yao's case had earlier sparked public anger about the moral standards of the children of privileged classes. There were suspicions that Yao's parents might use their connections to bribe authorities into letting him off with a less serious charge.
Yao later apologized for the "atrocity" his son committed and expressed deep guilt for the "excruciating" pain caused to Zhang's family members.
Yao Jiaxin, the 21-year-old former Xi'an Conservatory of Music piano student, was seen in chains and weeping while signing documents before he was escorted by police to the place of execution in a video clip aired on China Central Television.
The Shaanxi Province Higher People's Court upheld the death sentence on May 20 after rejecting Yao's appeal against the ruling by the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court on April 22.
Yao stabbed Zhang Miao repeatedly after he spotted her noting his car plate number after the accident.
The lower court sentenced Yao to death for murder and ordered him to pay 45,498.50 yuan (US$7,023) compensation to Zhang's family. The court dismissed a plea for leniency by Yao's lawyer, who said the student had surrendered himself to police and killed Zhang in the heat of passion.
"Yao stabbed the victim's chest, stomach and back several times until she died. The motive was extremely despicable, the measures extremely cruel and the consequences extremely serious," the judgment said.
Yesterday's execution sparked a wave of heated debate online.
On his microblog, real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi wrote: "I pray for Yao" and "There is an inexplicit sadness after watching the news of his execution on CCTV." His personal page was soon flooded with comments accusing Pan of taking the side of a murderer. Later, Pan said he felt sad for Yao's father.
Last month, five professors from several Xi'an universities signed a petition against Yao's death sentence, saying the case was heard in a biased media environment.
"The trial was conducted when the public was under an irrational mental state," said Wang Xin, one of the five professors, in a report on Hsw.cn, the Shaanxi news portal.
Other online commentators said the death sentence upheld justice and safeguarded the law and judicial authority. "If we have to name a winner in Yao's case, I think it's the victory of judicial justice. Other individuals are all losers," said Li Qianfan on Dayoo.com.
In an online poll which attracted almost 40,000 responses on weibo.com, 66 percent said the death sentence safeguarded the authority of laws and 19 percent said they were very satisfied with the ruling while 12 percent thought it was dangerous when the media environment took precedence over the law.
Meanwhile, Yao's father Yao Qingwei said on his microblog that he had not been allowed to see the body of his son and could only get his ashes after he was cremated.
He had left 200,000 yuan for the victim's son and her parents when he visited them on May 26.
But Zhang's parents later returned the money. Yao's father said he would save the money in a special account and the family could have it at any time.
He rejected claims made by the bereaved family's lawyer, Zhang Xian, about their family background and economic conditions and said he retained the right to take legal action against him for what he claimed were untrue accusations.
"Zhang Xian made up many stories to label Yao as the second generation of an affluent family and high-ranking government officials in an attempt to arouse public anger toward Yao," the student's father said on his microblog on May 31.
Yao's case had earlier sparked public anger about the moral standards of the children of privileged classes. There were suspicions that Yao's parents might use their connections to bribe authorities into letting him off with a less serious charge.
Yao later apologized for the "atrocity" his son committed and expressed deep guilt for the "excruciating" pain caused to Zhang's family members.
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