Transient life of scavenging for 'murder victim'
By Li Xinran |
May 10, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A "MURDER victim" in central China eked out an existence by scavenging and selling waste for a decade as the man convicted of his murder languished in prison.
Zhao Zuohai was convicted of killing Zhao Zhenshang in May 1999 in Zhecheng County of Henan Province.
Henan Higher People's Court yesterday declared Zhao Zuohai innocent while a task force by provincial authorities started to pursue any judicial or law enforcement officers responsible for the wrong conviction and to find out whether torture was involved to extract testimony.
The wrongly jailed man will be eligible for a compensation package.
Zhao Zhenshang told Beijing News that he fled by bicycle immediately after a brutal fight between the two in October 1997.
He said he traveled to a number of areas. Taikang in Henan was his last stop before he came home early this month.
"My last job was picking up trash and selling it," he said.
He rented a room in Taikang and lived there until he contracted an illness that may lead to paralysis. He returned home to claim social security to cover his illness.
He said he had an old grievance with Zhao Zuohai including a dispute involving 1,800 yuan (US$264).
According to Zhao Zhenshang, the duo once moved to Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, and worked as masons there for three years.
He said he was enraged when he discovered Zhao Zuohai went to the home of Du Jinhui, a married woman, in their village. Zhao Zhenshang broke into Du's home, stabbed Zhao Zuohai in the head, and fled. He was reported to police as missing.
Zhao Zuohai was initially put under investigation and then set free because of a lack of evidence. However, a corpse dug up a year later was wrongly identified as that of Zhao Zhenshang. This was enough to land the accused with a death sentence, later commuted to life in prison and then 29 years' term.
Zhao Zuohai's ex-wife told Beijing News she was tortured to testify that Zhao Zuohai was the murderer. Du had a similar torture story.
Zhao Zuohai was convicted of killing Zhao Zhenshang in May 1999 in Zhecheng County of Henan Province.
Henan Higher People's Court yesterday declared Zhao Zuohai innocent while a task force by provincial authorities started to pursue any judicial or law enforcement officers responsible for the wrong conviction and to find out whether torture was involved to extract testimony.
The wrongly jailed man will be eligible for a compensation package.
Zhao Zhenshang told Beijing News that he fled by bicycle immediately after a brutal fight between the two in October 1997.
He said he traveled to a number of areas. Taikang in Henan was his last stop before he came home early this month.
"My last job was picking up trash and selling it," he said.
He rented a room in Taikang and lived there until he contracted an illness that may lead to paralysis. He returned home to claim social security to cover his illness.
He said he had an old grievance with Zhao Zuohai including a dispute involving 1,800 yuan (US$264).
According to Zhao Zhenshang, the duo once moved to Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, and worked as masons there for three years.
He said he was enraged when he discovered Zhao Zuohai went to the home of Du Jinhui, a married woman, in their village. Zhao Zhenshang broke into Du's home, stabbed Zhao Zuohai in the head, and fled. He was reported to police as missing.
Zhao Zuohai was initially put under investigation and then set free because of a lack of evidence. However, a corpse dug up a year later was wrongly identified as that of Zhao Zhenshang. This was enough to land the accused with a death sentence, later commuted to life in prison and then 29 years' term.
Zhao Zuohai's ex-wife told Beijing News she was tortured to testify that Zhao Zuohai was the murderer. Du had a similar torture story.
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