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One man from Hanzhong in Shaanxi province, China, was handed a death sentence by the Hanzhong Intermediate People’s Court for the murder of neighbor Wang Zixin, 70, and sons Wang Zhengjun, 40, and Wang Xiaojun, 46.
Zhang Koukou, 36, murdered the Wangs on Feb. 15, 2017, on Lunar New Year’s Eve, to avenge the death of his mother 21 years before in 1996.
Zhang’s mother, Xiuping, died after Zhengjun, then a minor, hit her on the head with a piece of wood. The attack was made in retaliation after she hit him in the face with a piece of metal, as per The South China Morning Post on Jan. 8. Zhang, who was only 13 years old then, witnessed the incident.
Zhengjun was sentenced to seven years in prison, and an amount of 9,639 yuan ($1,406) was given to Zhang’s family as compensation.
Zhang’s death sentence was announced on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo by the court on Jan. 8. As per the court, Zhang kept a close watch on the family as they honored their ancestral tombs before stabbing Zhengjun and Xiaojun. He then entered the Wang compound and stabbed the elderly Zixin. He also smashed the windows of Xiaojun’s vehicle and set it on fire.
Zhang’s father, Zhang Furu, has since expressed his hope that his son would one day be released, as per the Red Star News.
Meanwhile, Wang Fujun, Zhengjun’s other brother, shared that he must be punished.
“The murderer must be punished,” Fujun was quoted as saying. “He should be sentenced to death and executed immediately.” Cody Cepeda
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