According to the report, Xin and Gao decided to rob someone in order to get money for their return trip home after being defrauded by a job placement agency when they came to Beijing looking for work. When 27-year-old office lady Ms. Li was walking alone, the two rushed towards her with knives and stabbed her to death when she resisted.
The reporter learned this morning that the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Xin and Gao to death in the first trial for robbery and ordered them to compensate Ms. Li's parents for more than 600,000 yuan in losses.
● Defendants
Claimed they were defrauded while looking for work and robbed just to gather money for the trip home
According to Xin's account, he was defrauded of his money by an employment agency when he came to Beijing looking for work. On the night of the incident, he went to an ATM machine at a bank near Zhao Gongkou to withdraw money to go home, but there was less than 100 yuan in his card so he couldn't withdraw any. By this time, the bank had already closed. At a loss, Gao who was sitting on the steps of the bank started chatting with him. They discovered that their experiences were similar as both had been almost completely defrauded of their money while looking for work.
"If we don't have money, how can we go home? Let's just rob someone!" Xin suggested robbing, and Gao nodded in agreement. The two planned to carry out a robbery nearby.
At the same time, Ms. Li who had just arranged for her friend to stay at a hotel near Zhao Gongkou was walking home and became the target of Xin and Gao's robbery.
According to Xin's confession, the reason they chose Ms. Li was because her backpack was very conspicuous. They thought she looked "classy" and wealthy. There were other single women who passed by earlier, but they didn't act because they thought from their clothing that they didn't have much money.
● Victim
Had already decided to resign and return to hometown for work before the incident
The victim Ms. Li worked as a manager in a department at Zhuangsheng Chongguang Mall. The day before the incident, she called home saying that she had already prepared to resign and return to work in her hometown in Henan Province. During the trial, Ms. Li's parents demanded severe punishment for the two defendants.
Ms. Li's parents demanded that the two defendants compensate them for various losses including death compensation and funeral expenses totaling more than 600,000 yuan.
● Court's Review
Even if defrauded, it cannot be a reason for leniency
Xin, aged 22, is a farmer from a village in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. Gao, just 20 years old, is a farmer from Hejian City, Hebei Province.
After investigation, the court found that Xin and Gao had conspired to commit robbery. Around 23:00 on August 3, 2010, near the Hanting chain hotel east of Zhao Gongkou Long-distance Bus Station in Fengtai District, they intercepted the 27-year-old victim Ms. Li who was passing by.
Xin threatened her with a dagger while Gao took the opportunity to snatch Ms. Li's backpack. After Ms. Li resisted, Xin stabbed her several times in the chest, back, and left upper limb with the dagger, causing her death due to ruptures of the heart and liver.
After snatching Ms. Li's backpack, Xin and Gao fled the scene. Inside the bag were 3200 yuan in cash and a Nokia mobile phone worth 1120 yuan. 26 hours after the incident, Xin and Gao were captured in Langfang City, Hebei Province by the Fengtai Public Security Bureau.
Xin's defense counsel argued that Xin usually behaves well and only committed the crime after being defrauded while looking for work in Beijing. He is a first-time offender and occasional offender.
Gao's defense counsel claimed that the fraud he suffered indirectly led to this case happening. He has low subjective malice, shows remorse, and is also a first-time offender and occasional offender, so he should be given a lighter sentence.
The court ruled that there is no evidence proving whether the two defendants were defrauded before committing the robbery. Even if they were defrauded, it cannot be a reason for committing the crime of robbery, nor can it be a reason for a lighter sentence. Based on this, the court made the aforementioned ruling.