According to the China News Agency in Changchun on November 26th (reported by Zhong Xin), four Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province, were held responsible for the death of fellow practitioner, Ms. Xiao. The practitioners wanted to help Ms. Xiao by using force to get rid of the so-called "fox spirit" from her body, in April and killed her. Changchun Intermediate People's Court heard the case recently and produced a first-instance sentence.
The court made investigations and concluded that the victim and four defendants, Yu Xuewei, Wang Haipeng, Gao Hongqing, and Jin Mingdong, were Falun Gong practitioners. At one o'clock in the afternoon of April 7 this year, the four defendants were in Yu’s home, where they discussed and believed that Ms. Xiao was haunted by a "fox spirit", which would greatly affected her cultivation. Accordingly, Yu and Gao proposed to remove the demon by beating Xiao. The two slapped Xiao in the face and head with slippers. Then Yu Xuewei, Gao Hongqing, and Jin Mingdong placed frozen bottles and bottles of hot water in turn on Xiao’s chest and stomach. Jin also pricked Xiao in the philtrum, a vital acupuncture point in the middle of upper lip, with a sewing needle; then Gao and Jin bound Xiao’s hands and feet with a bed sheet.
At five o'clock in the afternoon that day, Yu Xuewei sent for Wang Haipeng. Wang joined the others and kicked hard at Xiao on the head, chest, stomach, and back. After four hours of brutal beating by the four of them, Xiao was found unconscious and without breath. They called 120 for help, but the rescue came too late and Xiao was pronounced dead by the medical staff. According to the results of the medical examination, Ms. Xiao died of hemorrhagic shock and broken liver, kidney, and lungs due to external force.
According to the court decision, Wang Haipeng was condemned to death, suspended for two years with all his political rights deprived for life; Yu Xuewei and Gao Hongqing were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment with political rights being deprived for life; Jin Mingdong was sentenced to a 15-year imprisonment with his political rights deprived for 5 years. Furthermore, the court also ordered the four defendants to share the civil liabilities by compensating a total of 280,000 yuan to Xiao’s relatives.
