Chinese teen sentenced to life in prison for classmate's death

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BEIJING — A Chinese court has sentenced two teenagers over the death of their classmate in March.

The teens in Hebei province, identified only by their surnames Zhang and Li, were 13 years old when they conspired to kill their classmate Wang and split his money between them.

After attacking Wang with a shovel, they buried him in an abandoned vegetable greenhouse, the court said in a statement on Monday, adding that their "methods were especially cruel and circumstances especially vile".

The teenagers were sentenced to life imprisonment and 12 years imprisonment, respectively.

The sentencing draws a line under the brutal case, which triggered intense public anger when it was first reported.

Wang had long been bullied in school by three classmates, his family and lawyer said in March, while the court on Monday noted that he had experienced conflict with Zhang and Li.

A third teen who was also at the scene, identified by his surname Ma, was not handed criminal punishment, according to the court.

On 3 March, Zhang brought Wang to the greenhouse on a scooter, while Li rode on a separate scooter with Ma. Along the way, Li told Ma about the plan Zhang had hatched to kill Wang.

When the four arrived at the greenhouse, Zhang started assaulting Wang with a shovel and Li assisted him. Upon witnessing the attack, Ma left the greenhouse.

Zhang and Li then buried the victim, and the three rode away from the scene.

Afterwards, Zhang used Wang's phone to transfer money from his WeChat account to Lee and himself. He also took out the SIM card from Wang's phone and ordered Ma to destroy it.

Zhang, Li and Ma were each approached by police, and Ma eventually led them to the crime scene.

The court said that Zhang was the main culprit as he had planned the crime and instigated others to join in, and his actions directly caused Wang's death.

Li, meanwhile, was a colluder who actively participated in the act and shared the money with Zhang, the court said.

Authorities said that Ma would undergo correction and education - a method that is commonly applied to minors who have committed crimes.

The teens' sentencing on Monday was lauded by social media users who had been waiting to hear about the gruesome crime's punishment. But some suggested that the sentencing was too lenient.

"The one that only got 12 years will be a young man when he is released. Hope he doesn't take revenge on society when he is out," reads a popular comment on Weibo, referring to a recent spate of mass killings that have struck fear across the country.

Others mourned Wang's death. "As a parent, I really feel sorry for the kid," said another Weibo user. "It's really heart-breaking." — BBC