"Han Jie said, "Many people thought we were serving our sentences outside of prison or had already been released after completing our sentences." Ma Yunping did not return home for the New Year, Li Wenlong left shortly after the New Year, and Han Jie also started feeling restless.
Each unfortunate family has its own misfortunes.
After the 19-year-old Kang Lina was murdered, according to local customs, she was posthumously "married" to a deceased 30-year-old man from a nearby village.
When the three members of Yu Luping's family were detained, they were paraded through the streets with signs labeling them as "rapists and murderers." The teenage Han Jie also had a sign around his neck labeling him as a "rapist and robber," and he read his "repentance letter" in at least five schools in Pucheng County. Han Jie has always referred to this experience as "giving speeches." Below the podium, Han Jie's classmate Bai Peng said, "When he saw me, his lips trembled, and two rows of tears streamed down."
"At the end of December 2011, a section chief of the Hancheng Procuratorate said that none of the staff responsible for the case had been affected. On January 31, 2012, Zhang Jianjun, the Party Secretary of Pucheng County, stated that the county's Political and Legal Affairs Commission had taken the lead in initiating a mechanism to investigate police errors. When asked when results would be available, Zhang Jianjun said it should be within a certain timeframe. Regarding officials who have already been promoted, Zhang believed they were selected before media reports surfaced."
Li Sanmin feared his son would go astray. He heard his son often played mahjong all night and didn't know where the money came from. Some people had seen Li Wenlong with a dragon tattoo.
Two different rape cases many years ago completely changed the fates of the victims, the "suspects," and their families.
Last year, after numerous twists and turns, the six victims of the two cases eventually received state compensation. However, to their disappointment, no one had cleared their names, no one had investigated the wrongful convictions, and most of the original case handlers had already been promoted.
On November 20, 2005, a distress letter sent from the Hekou County Public Security Bureau Detention Center finally reached the local media. The sender was Yu Luping, then 20 years old, who lived in Hancheng selling broad bean paste with his parents, Yu Zhi'an and Zhang Xiufang.
The regulations issued jointly by the Supreme People's Court and four other departments in recent years clearly stipulate the exclusion of illegally obtained evidence such as torture. Moreover, the wrong case accountability system should not only remain on paper but must be genuinely implemented. As Francis Bacon said: "An unjust trial has even worse consequences than ten crimes. For crime is like polluting the water flow, while an unjust trial destroys the law - like polluting the water source."
Not long after being released, the three young men returned to their hometown in Chongqing. Soon, Yu Luping married a girl from a neighboring village and had twin daughters. Due to financial difficulties, Yu Zhi'an went to work at construction sites, Yu Luping sold barbecue in the suburbs of Chongqing, and Zhang Xiufang stayed home to take care of the twin grandsons. However, this frightened elder called her son whenever she heard police sirens, thinking the police were coming to arrest them again, Yu Luping told reporters.
In contrast to the victims and "suspects" of the two wrongful cases, until now, the case handlers at the time have not been held accountable for the wrongful convictions and have enjoyed smooth career advancements.
After the release of the Yu family, they quickly returned to their rented house in the slums of Hancheng. Upon opening the door with the seal still on it, Yu Zhi'an pulled out several jars of fermented bean paste from under the bed. Opening the lids, all 20-plus jars of fermented bean paste had solidified and molded, growing layers of white fuzz.
Although they received state compensation, the lives of the families involved in the two cases could never return to what they once were.
"If the Pucheng County Public Security Bureau and Procuratorate were not wrong, then revoke the compensation decision from the Shaanxi Higher People's Court and send these three children back to prison," said Han Xuan, uncle of Han Jie, helplessly.
Han Jie, who was acquitted of raping and robbing a 69-year-old woman in the Pucheng Xingzhen case, believes that restoring reputation and eliminating influence are more important than state compensation.
A few days later, the three returned to their hometown in Chongqing. Soon, Yu Luping married a girl from a neighboring village and had twin daughters. Due to financial difficulties, Yu Zhi'an worked at construction sites, Yu Luping sold barbecue in the suburbs of Chongqing, and Zhang Xiufang stayed home to take care of the twin grandsons. However, this frightened elder called her son whenever she heard police sirens, thinking the police were coming to arrest them again, Yu Luping told reporters.
Even though the victims received state compensation, the lives of the families involved in the two cases could never return to what they once were.
On January 31, 2012, in a remote village in Pucheng County, the reporter found Qin Mou, the victim of another case. She is now 78 years old and still feels heartbroken when recalling the incident.
Although the "suspects" in the two cases have received state compensation, throughout the entire process, the local public security and procuratorial departments have never admitted to handling wrongful cases.
"In March 2003, at around 7 o'clock in the morning, a female corpse was found at the back gate of Jinta Park in Hancheng City. The deceased was named Kang Lina, aged 19. Soon after, the three members of the Yu family, who lived 120 meters away in a shanty town, were controlled. Ten days after the case occurred, the police announced the case was solved, stating that Yu Zhi'an and his parents had raped and killed Kang Lina. For this, the Hancheng municipal government rewarded the special investigation team with 100,000 yuan.
"If it wasn't them (the Yu family) who killed my daughter and the real culprit is found, I am willing to compensate them on behalf of the state," Chen Cuige once promised.
Kang Lina's tragic background moved many: Born on October 17, 1986, her birth mother died from excessive bleeding. At the age of 28, Chen Cuige, who had no children, adopted Kang Lina from a neighboring village.
Two years after Kang Lina's death, her doting grandfather and grandmother also passed away. Chen Cuige's husband bought a tricycle to collect scrap, and they have a biological daughter who is already in high school.
Although the "suspects" in the two cases have received state compensation, from start to finish, the local public security and procuratorial departments have never admitted to handling wrongful cases.
"The policemen who took my statements seemed inexperienced, writing something down, tearing it up, and rewriting... I can't read, they didn't read it to me, so I just pressed my fingerprint on it," recalled one individual.
Despite receiving state compensation, the families involved in the two cases could never return to their previous lives.
On the evening of January 30, 2012, Li Sanmin, father of Li Wenlong, had just returned from visiting relatives. While pouring hot water for the reporter, he realized the kettle was empty. Upon checking the cool aluminum pot on the coal stove, he saw that the fire had gone out. In that instant, Li Sanmin's tears began to fall.
Yang Yueqin worries more about her son's marriage; he's already of age but hasn't succeeded in matchmaking several times, "He talks too little, possibly due to mental trauma."
In September 2003, at some point during the night or early morning (the exact timing unclear), a 69-year-old woman named Qin from Xingzhen Town in Pucheng County was sexually assaulted and gang-raped in her home. Soon after, Han Jie, Ma Yunping, and Li Wenlong, all students in the third year of junior high school in Xingzhen, were detained and arrested.
During the trial at the Pucheng County Court, the three boys cried out in court, claiming they did not commit the crime. The case was quickly returned for supplementary investigation. However, without new evidence, the Pucheng County Procuratorate re-prosecuted, and the court retried the case.
Different from Yu Luping's situation, in the wrongful case involving the alleged rape of a 69-year-old woman in Pucheng County, one of the suspects, Ma Yunping, and his family heard an apology—"I'm sorry"—from local procuratorate and county political and legal affairs commission staff.
Informants say that just before the Pucheng County Court made its ruling, on October 12, 2004, the Pucheng County Procuratorate unexpectedly decided not to prosecute. Two days later, the three teenagers were released after being wrongly detained for 402 days.
Qin is now 78 years old. She and her husband never had children. Decades ago, she adopted a boy who is now estranged from her.
Facing the compensation, the family felt mixed emotions. "Although they didn't apologize to us, their attitude was still quite good. After receiving the money, that was it. We didn't have time to ask them to clear our names, although everyone in our hometown in Chongqing knows about this matter," said Yu Luping.
As for the true culprit behind these two cases, the victims and their families are both angry and confused.
In the wrongful case involving the alleged rape of a 69-year-old woman in Pucheng County, the three young men were detained and arrested, spending 402 days in custody. They eventually received state compensation, but no one cleared their names, and most of the original case handlers have been promoted.
Upon leaving the Pucheng County Procuratorate, the reporter noticed a sign on the wall in the first-floor hall reading "No case withdrawals, no wrongful arrests or prosecutions."
Originally, the Li family's house was the best in the village. He and his wife sold vegetables in Xingzhen. With some savings, they bought a plot of land on the street intending to build another courtyard. Unexpected events forced them to dismantle their vegetable stall, sell the land, and begin running errands for their son. Watching their days getting progressively worse, their daughter, who was once top of her grade, dropped out of school to help her parents with chores.
When the prosecutor's office in Weinan decided to release the three members of the Yu family without charge, the Hancheng Public Security Bureau refused to let them go. At the time, a captain of the criminal investigation team in the bureau's dormitory scratched his feet while saying, "Kang Lina visited me in a dream last night. It was definitely the Yu family who committed the crime."
In contrast to Yu Luping, in the wrongful case involving the alleged rape of a 69-year-old woman in Pucheng County, one of the suspects, Ma Yunping, and his family heard an apology—"I'm sorry"—from local procuratorate and county political and legal affairs commission staff.
The reporter twice visited the home of Kang Lina in Yuzhuang Village, Zhichuan Town, Hancheng City for interviews. It's a small village located not far from the Sima Ci Temple.
In the middle of the night or early morning on September 6, 2003 (the exact time is unclear in the police records), a 69-year-old woman surnamed Qin in Xingzhen Town, Pucheng County, was sexually assaulted and gang-raped in her home. Soon after, Han Jie, Ma Yunping, and Li Wenlong, all students in the third year of junior high school in Xingzhen, were detained and arrested.
Before the prosecutor's office in Weinan decided to release the three members of the Yu family without charge, the Hancheng Public Security Bureau refused to let them go. At the time, a captain of the criminal investigation team in the bureau's dormitory scratched his feet while saying, "Kang Lina visited me in a dream last night. It was definitely the Yu family who committed the crime."
Yu Luping forwarded this rescue letter through his lawyer, detailing the torture he endured, arguing that his family did not rape and murder Kang Lina but were coerced into confessing.
Han Jie is considered the luckiest among the three youths. After being released, he quickly met his girlfriend while working in Shandong. Due to her father's strong opposition to her marrying someone "with a criminal record," the father and daughter severed ties. Eventually, they got married and now have a child. Walking through the village, "I can still feel the spittle flying behind me," Han Jie said.
This year during the Spring Festival, the 27-year-old Yu Luping from Chongqing welcomed many guests, "Four tables of food were set up, and my usually abstinent father got drunk." Half a month before the Spring Festival, Yu Luping finally received the 230,000 yuan state compensation from the Hancheng Procuratorate.
On August 8, 2011, some personnel from the Pucheng County Procuratorate and the County Political and Legal Affairs Commission suddenly drove to Ma Yunping's house with a camera, "All 50,000 yuan plus 86 fen were given, including every cent. I said I wouldn't take the cents, but they insisted. Finally, the visitors said 'sorry' and left."
Facing the compensation, the family had mixed feelings, "Although they didn't formally apologize to us, their attitude was still pretty good. After receiving the money, that was it. We didn't have time to ask them to clear our names, even though everyone in our hometown in Chongqing knows about this matter," said Yu Luping.
Regarding the real culprit behind these two cases, the victims and their families are both angry and confused.
Professor Zheng Shengxu of the School of Humanities at Xi'an Polytechnic University believes that on one hand, neither Pucheng County nor Hancheng City pursued responsibility for the above-mentioned wrongful cases, implying that the local public security and procuratorial departments do not consider themselves at fault. On the other hand, the Shaanxi Higher People's Court issued a state compensation decision for these two cases, indicating errors in the investigation and prosecution stages. This creates a paradoxical situation.
Prosecutor Cao Chengming of the Pucheng County Procuratorate said, "In August 2011, we internally initiated the pursuit of wrongful case responsibility. After investigation, we did not find any mistakes made by our prosecutors."
Police Chief Zhi Jianfeng of the Pucheng County Public Security Bureau believes, "Our public security organ's detention was correct. If it was wrong, why did the court order the procuratorate to provide state compensation? Clearly, the error lies with the Pucheng County Procuratorate."
The elderly woman recounted the disaster nine years ago with fear: That night, my husband and I were half-asleep when suddenly a masked man jumped into the room. I thought it was a deity or a demon. The man opened the door and two more masked men entered, holding knives.
Reporter investigations revealed that throughout the entire file, the evidence consisted solely of the written confessions of the three members of the Yu family and the presence of Yu Luping's semen inside the deceased. However, including Yu Luping, many testified that the deceased, Kang Lina, was his girlfriend and had previously spent nights at the Yu family home. On December 8, 2006, the Weinan City Procuratorate decided not to prosecute the three members of the Yu family due to insufficient evidence. However, the Hancheng Municipal Public Security Bureau believed the facts were clear and the evidence substantial, delaying their release. It wasn't until 13 days later that the three members of the Yu family were finally released without charge.
Three individuals were accused of raping and murdering in Hancheng, detained for 628 days; three others were accused of raping and robbing a 69-year-old woman in Pucheng, detained for 402 days. They received state compensation, but no one cleared their names, and most of the case handlers have been promoted.