Zhu Ruilin was once injured by a debt collector.
The trial attracted many spectators.
The Ya'an Intermediate People's Court sentenced Zhu Ruilin to death in the first trial; yesterday, the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court held the second trial in Mianzhu.
Due to gambling, Zhu Ruilin, a construction boss from Mianzhu, not only lost hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash from his own family, but also gambled away more than 400,000 yuan of "water money" (high-interest loans) he borrowed. The "water money" accumulated with interest until it became impossible to repay. As a result, he lost his construction site, sold a house in the city, divorced his wife, and went into hiding; debt collectors chased and beat him, threatening to "bury him alive." With no way out, he shot and killed two debt collectors. In the first trial, the Ya'an Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to death; yesterday, the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court held the second trial at the Mianzhu People's Court.
Zhu on the defendant's stand
Once helped those in need and was considered a good person by fellow villagers
The case of Zhu Ruilin shooting the debt collectors occurred in late December 2007.
"This child has reached this point, it's a pity." Before the trial yesterday, many villagers who had watched Zhu Ruilin grow up gathered at the temporary courtroom of the Mianzhu People's Court and discussed it. "More than 20 years ago, Zhu Ruilin was a carpenter, we all called him Master Zhu." Zhu Guanghua from Group 2, Shuangmiao Village, Tumen Town, Mianzhu City said, Master Zhu often did good deeds. "My family has always been very poor, Master Zhu knew this and gave me 200 yuan, helping me through tough times. In 2006, when my son Zhu Jun was admitted to university, our family was worried about not having enough money to send him to school, but he sponsored our family with 4000 yuan, allowing the child to smoothly enter university."
In the case file materials, there is a petition signed by nearly 300 people from Fuxin, Tumen, and other towns, asking the legal and political authorities to show leniency towards Zhu Ruilin. In the eyes of these fellow villagers, Master Zhu was a "good person": once, Li Chenghu from Qingdao Town accidentally drowned while swimming, and Zhu Ruilin jumped into the river without hesitation to save him; Kou Yuanbin from Fuxin Town was injured while working on a construction site, and Zhu Ruilin provided free assistance to treat him; Xu Anhua's child met with a car accident on the way to school, and after learning about it, Zhu Ruilin voluntarily donated 3000 yuan for emergency treatment; in 2000, Zhang Luying from Banqiao Town, Mianzhu could not afford medical treatment due to illness, and Zhu Ruilin generously sponsored him with 5000 yuan; in 2000, Wu Shunying from Shuangmiao Village, Tumen Town, Mianzhu drank pesticide after a quarrel with her husband, and Zhu spent the night with her family sending Wu to the hospital, asking acquaintances to find doctors to rescue her, and now Wu still feels grateful...
So, how did a "good person" in the eyes of the villagers end up on the defendant's stand?
Nightmare created by the casino
Owing huge amounts of "water money," troubles began to pile up
"I have reached this point because of gambling, borrowing 'water money,' and being forced into a corner by debt collectors..." This was a sentence Zhu Ruilin repeatedly said in court.
On March 28, 2006, Yang from Mianzhu invited Zhu Ruilin to gamble at the Jiannanchun Hotel in Mianzhu. Zhu Ruilin, just coming from a construction site, brought 108,000 yuan in cash to gamble, losing it all within a short time and owing 370,000 yuan in gambling debts—this was Zhu Ruilin's first "big gamble."
On March 29, 2006, under Yang's invitation, Zhu Ruilin gambled again at the Jiannanchun Hotel. This time, he brought 200,000 yuan himself, repaying 150,000 yuan of the previous gambling debt, leaving 50,000 yuan, which he lost within an hour, and then owed another 220,000 yuan in gambling debts; On April 3, 2008, Yang arranged gambling at a certain teahouse in Mianzhu. After losing his self-brought 60,000 yuan, Zhu Ruilin owed another 100,000 yuan. Within a week and three gambling sessions, Zhu Ruilin lost nearly 400,000 yuan and owed more than 500,000 yuan in gambling debts. According to the interest rate of 500 yuan per day for every 10,000 yuan of "water money," he paid 75,000 yuan in interest monthly, continuously for three months.
In March 2006, Zhu Ruilin contracted a construction project in the Yaque Neighborhood of Deyang City. This neighborhood construction covered several thousand square meters, with a net profit of over 2 million yuan. Zhu Ruilin said he planned to finish this neighborhood project and pay off both principal and interest.
However, things were not as simple as Zhu Ruilin imagined. In June 2006, Yang sent people to cause trouble at the construction site to force Zhu Ruilin to repay the debt and threatened the workers, causing panic among them; In July 2006, Zhu Ruilin sold the only 135-square-meter housing unit in the urban area of Mianzhu for over 100,000 yuan at a low price to repay Yang's gambling debt, moving to live in the countryside; On October 12, 2006, Yang sent people to block the Yaque Neighborhood construction site. Police came twice that day to handle the situation before it temporarily calmed down; During the lunar New Year's Eve, with only a few days left until the Spring Festival, Zhu Ruilin had just received a 200,000-yuan check from "Minfu Group" to pay worker wages, but it was quickly seized by the debt collectors...
On July 1, 2007, Zhu Ruilin quietly returned home
to celebrate his daughter's birthday. While eating dinner with his family, Yang sent people to take Zhu to the Xinzhen Riverbank in Mianzhu where they beat him up. Zhu Ruilin was saved by a farmer who was herding ducks. In September 2007, Zhu Ruilin divorced his wife.
Desperation leading to murder
Unable to escape from the teahouse, he killed two people and surrendered
On the afternoon of December 21, 2007, the debt collector Yang learned that Zhu Ruilin was drinking tea at the "QiuMi Teahouse" in Mianzhu, so he rushed to the teahouse. Having already been threatened and beaten seven times by Yang and other debt collectors, Zhu Ruilin feared being beaten again if he encountered Yang, so he immediately left the teahouse. About twenty minutes later, Zhao, a close friend who grew up with Zhu Ruilin, called Zhu and said that Yang was looking for him and asked him to come back to the teahouse immediately.
Considering that Zhao was his good friend, Zhu Ruilin thought there shouldn't be much trouble, so he returned to the teahouse. Zhu Ruilin testified in court that upon arriving at the teahouse, he saw Yang and two other men, including Chen, who had previously beaten him. Originally intending to explain himself to Yang, Zhu was instead punched and kicked by Yang and others. They then forced Zhu to write another IOU and compelled him to disclose the address of his wife and daughter in the countryside.
Zhu stated that after writing the IOU, he entered the restroom, planning to escape through the window. However, since the window was too high, he couldn't climb out. Subsequently, Zhu pulled out a replica handgun he had picked up in Chengdu's Hehuachi area and loaded it in the restroom. "After coming out, Yang and Chen lunged at him again, and Zhu fired multiple shots, killing Yang and Chen."
On December 23 of the same year, accompanied by friends, Zhu Ruilin handed over the gun used in the crime to a friend and then surrendered to the Mianzhu Public Security Bureau. On October 15 last year, the Ya'an Intermediate People's Court sentenced Zhu Ruilin to death in the first trial for intentional homicide and illegal possession of firearms. Dissatisfied, Zhu appealed to the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court.
After deliberation by the Trial Committee of the Higher People's Court, the verdict will be announced at a later date.
Yesterday, the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court conducted the second trial of Zhu Ruilin's appeal.
The prosecution argued that the defendant Zhu Ruilin used a gun in a public place to illegally deprive two people of their lives. The facts recognized by the first-instance court were clear, and the evidence was solid and sufficient. The second-instance court should uphold the original judgment.
However, Zhu Ruilin's defense lawyer argued that before owing the victim Yang a huge gambling debt, Zhu Ruilin had good character, was willing to help others, and abided by laws and regulations. The reason Zhu Ruilin turned to crime was due to coercion by the victim Yang, who was seriously at fault and bore undeniable responsibility. Therefore, the lawyer earnestly requested the court to consider mitigating punishment for the defendant.
After the trial, the judge stated that the case would be submitted to the Trial Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court for discussion, and the verdict would be announced at a later date.
Text and images by reporter Liao Xingyou