At around 10 a.m. yesterday, 26-year-old Zhu Huaifu was escorted into the court by judicial police. He showed no emotion on his face, with bloodshot eyes and several scars on his neck. About two meters away from him, the plaintiff's seat was occupied by the father of the deceased Yang Mou. Due to immense psychological pressure, Yang's mother chose to sit in the audience. Yesterday, Yang's parents filed a civil claim against Zhu Huaifu for over 1.3 million yuan in compensation and hoped the court would make a legal judgment accordingly. Regarding the reasons for opposing their daughter's relationship with Zhu Huaifu, they were reluctant to elaborate but emphasized that, judging from the current tragedy, Zhu Huaifu was not worth their daughter's affection.
In early last year, Yang told Zhu Huaifu that her parents opposed their relationship and thus proposed a breakup. "Her mother said I am an outsider, without a house or Beijing hukou (household registration) in Beijing, and my hometown is far away," Zhu Huaifu said. He tried to persuade Yang not to break up, but her attitude was very inconsistent. She moved out and rented another place, which led to conflicts between them. Last May, Zhu resigned from his job at a supermarket to deal with this issue.
Zhu Huaifu admitted in court to the charge of intentional homicide. He said that after graduating from university, he worked as a purchaser at the Meiliangmei Supermarket in Beijing. In early 2008, through a friend's introduction, he met Yang Mou, who was three years younger than him. She was from Jiangsu province and worked as an international freight agent in Beijing with good family conditions. After establishing a romantic relationship, they began cohabiting.
The autopsy report revealed that Yang had suffered 34 stab wounds across her body, including nine on her neck alone. Her carotid artery and aorta were severed. On July 23, 2021, at around 5 a.m., after Zhu left, his friends thought he had gone home and immediately called Yang to pack her things and leave to avoid any unexpected incidents caused by Zhu returning. However, after leaving, Zhu bought a fruit knife from a supermarket and encountered Yang nearby. They started arguing again on the street.
"I was very angry and argued with her for one or two hours at her place," Zhu Huaifu said. Then, he went out and bought a bottle of one-jin Baijiu (Chinese liquor), drank it, and returned. He saw that Yang had already invited one of his close friends over. In front of this friend, he and Yang argued for a long time outside the building. After Yang returned to her residence, Zhu went to the supermarket again to buy more alcohol and a fruit knife. "I felt life was meaningless and wanted to commit suicide." At the entrance of Yang's residence, this friend noticed a knife in Zhu's pocket, secretly took it away, and threw it aside, persuading Zhu to go home and calm down.
According to eyewitnesses, Yang's screams were extremely heart-wrenching; she ran away but was caught again, her face covered in blood. When the police and ambulance arrived, both Yang and Zhu were lying on the ground. Yang had already died, while Zhu, with his trachea cut open, couldn't speak. He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and regained consciousness later.
During the final statement, Zhu Huaifu stated that he was willing to accept any punishment. The case was not decided in court.
"Many of the injuries could directly cause death, and the means were extremely cruel," the prosecutor stated. Zhu Huaifu bought the weapon twice, indicating a subjective intention to kill the victim. Regarding Zhu Huaifu's self-inflicted injuries, the prosecutor believed that this was itself Zhu Huaifu's way of evading the law. "His parents raised him with great hardship, and he graduated from university and started working. Whether as a suspect or as an adult man, his self-harm behavior represents his evasion of the legal and social responsibilities he should bear, and cannot be considered as a mitigating circumstance." In response, Zhu Huaifu did not defend himself at all and showed no remorse or apology.
Zhu Huaifu mentioned that on the evening of July 22, 2020, he went to Yang's residence near Hepingxiyuan in Chaoyang District and saw Yang and a man walking hand in hand out of the corridor. After the man left, Yang informed him that he was her new boyfriend introduced by her parents, and they had already started discussing marriage.
Zhu Huaifu recalled feeling extremely angry when he thought about Yang having a new boyfriend. He then pulled out the knife and slashed Yang's neck. As Yang fell while trying to escape, Zhu chased after her and stabbed her again. Simultaneously, he also inflicted wounds on his own neck, stomach, and wrists.