Teenage girl killed in hotel room, case remains unsolved after two years
The main reason was the hotel's failure to register the ID card, and it was sentenced to compensate 50,000 yuan.
Information Times News (Reporter Wei Weiwei) A pair of a man and a woman claimed they forgot to bring their ID cards. The hotel attendant did not investigate further and allowed them to check in, accompanied by a collection of QQ emoticons. Unexpectedly, the woman was soon murdered, and the male guest disappeared without a trace. The case remained unsolved for two years. Recently, the court ruled that the hotel had failed to fulfill its duty of due diligence and ordered it to compensate the deceased's family with over 50,000 yuan.
Guest killed, no trace of the murderer
On the evening of May 11, 2008, 17-year-old Ah Xiang checked into a hotel in Panyu with a man. The next noon, Ah Xiang was found dead in room 8405 on the fourth floor of the hotel. According to the forensic examination, Ah Xiang died from mechanical asphyxiation caused by being strangled with a rope-like object. The police launched an investigation into the murder case on May 15, 2008, but the perpetrator has not been apprehended to this day. The hotel's on-duty attendant stated that he had asked the man to show his ID for registration, but the man said he didn't have it. The attendant did not pursue the matter further and proceeded to accommodate the request by giving them a standard room for 78 yuan, along with a 22-yuan deposit.
It was learned that the deceased, Ah Xiang, was from Chongqing. Her father had passed away many years ago, and she had been living with her mother all along. In the second half of 2007, just after graduating from junior high school at the age of 17, she went to work in Panyu. Her family was unaware of her living conditions or work situation in Panyu. After Ah Xiang's death, her mother, unable to find the murderer, filed a claim for compensation against the hotel. She believed that the hotel violated the regulations of the lodging industry by failing to register the guests' information. Due to the lack of registration, the public security authorities were still unable to capture the criminal suspect, leading to the inability to seek compensation from the suspect. Additionally, since the hotel had failed to ensure safety, it should bear supplementary responsibility.
Hotel not registering judged liable for compensation
The first-instance court believed that after graduating from junior high school, Ah Xiang went out to work. Her mother was unaware of her daughter's living and working situation and failed to fulfill her guardianship responsibilities towards the minor, which contributed to her daughter's death. Furthermore, according to relevant regulations governing the public security management of the lodging industry, "Lodging operators shall perform the following duties: Establish internal public security management systems such as gatekeeping, accommodation registration, visitor management, financial management, duty patrols, and situation reports." Although the killing of Ah Xiang was caused by the illegal actions of a third party and was not directly related to the service actions of the hotel itself, the hotel should have registered the identity information of its guests. Failing to do so constituted neglecting the duty of due care. Therefore, the hotel should bear 15% supplementary liability for Ah Xiang's death and compensate her mother for economic losses amounting to 53,296.88 yuan.
After the verdict, the hotel appealed to the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court reviewed the case and determined that the hotel failed to register the identity information of the two individuals, violating legal regulations and committing a fault. Moreover, this fault had a significant causal relationship with Ah Xiang's death. If the hotel had registered the identity information of the two individuals, the male guest might have considered that his identity information was already registered, making it easier for him to be traced if he harmed Ah Xiang, thus possibly abandoning his criminal intentions. Therefore, the hotel should bear compensation responsibility. Recently, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court made the final ruling, dismissing the appeal and upholding the original judgment.
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