SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a teenager to life imprisonment and another to 12 years in prison for brutally killing their 13-year-old classmate.
The two, surnamed Zhang and Li, were convicted of murdering the victim. They killed the victim and buried the body in March 2024, when they were both 13 years old.
Another defendant, who was also involved in the process but did not directly participate in the killing, was not given criminal punishment. Relevant authorities decided to conduct special correctional education for the defendant.
The court ruling said the acts of the two sentenced were particularly brutal and they were both between 12 and 14 years old at the time of the crime, so they should be held criminally responsible for their acts.
Zhang and Li had conflicts with Wang, and with Zhang's idea, the two conspired the killing, according to the court finding. On a March afternoon, Zhang killed the victim with a shovel with Li's help. The two then buried the body and split the victim's money.
Under China's criminal law, individuals aged 12 to 14 who commit intentional homicide or assault resulting in death, or who cause severe disability through particularly cruel means under egregious circumstances, shall be held criminally responsible if a prosecution is approved by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
Minor convicts are exempt from death penalty, and they will be given lighter or mitigated penalties under the law.
However, the brutality in certain cases triggered public concern that sometimes the sentencing is too lenient to deter a criminal mind. ■