Report of our newspaper (reporter Li Rui, correspondent Yuan Ming, Zou Shuang) Yesterday, we learned from the Provincial Procuratorate that the much-anticipated first-instance verdict was announced in the "punishment education" homicide case in Dangyang. The eight defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 2 years and 6 months to 13 years and 6 months for intentional injury, with the heaviest sentence handed down to Principal Zhang Yangyong.
The court found that on August 2 last year, the victim Yao (male, 14 years old) participated in a hiking summer camp organized by a youth training base under the guidance of his parents. On August 3, Yao and 52 other students set out from the urban area of Yichang under the leadership of their instructors, planning to walk to a certain youth activity center in Dangyang City.
During the march, Yao, due to physical exhaustion, could not keep up with the group and was repeatedly beaten and physically punished by Principal Zhang Yangyong and instructors Zhu, Chen, Wang, and Wang. On the evening of August 4 when they arrived at the destination, Yao was again penalized by standing and beaten by the instructors, which led to him being confused before sleep and talking nonsense. At around 6 am the next day, Yao lay in bed, pale-faced and sweating profusely, losing control of his bladder and bowels. Zhang Yangyong immediately sent him to the hospital for emergency treatment, but at around 8 am, Yao died after ineffective rescue. The forensic examination determined that Yao died of acute renal failure due to multiple soft tissue injuries over his entire body causing crush syndrome.