A Chinese couple was executed on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, following a crime that resulted in the demise of a family and sparked national outrage.
Zhang Bo and his girlfriend, Ye Chengchen, met their end by lethal injection. This execution marked the closure of a case that initiated with the killing of Zhang’s two young children in Chongqing, a city located in southwest China.
The Chongqing High People’s Court convicted Zhang for throwing his two-year-old daughter and one-year-old son from the 15th floor of a residential building in 2020.
Ye was also held accountable for her involvement in the crime, as she exerted pressure on Zhang to commit the act. She considered the children as barriers to their fresh start together after Zhang’s divorce from his wife.
The court’s judgment depicted an intricately planned crime, driven by a motive deemed “despicable” and carried out in a method referred to as “brutal”.
Following extensive legal proceedings, the Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate People’s Court sentenced the two to death in December 2021. The Supreme People’s Court later affirmed this decision after a thorough examination of appeals.
The statement from the Supreme Court emphasized the reprehensible motives that led to the murders, underscoring the necessity for a firm response to such heinous crimes.
The incident took place in the context of Zhang’s decision to begin a new life with Ye, after the end of his marriage with his wife, Chen Meilin, in February 2020.
Ye, perceiving the children as obstructions to their future, manipulated Zhang into removing them from the picture.
After the murders in November 2020, Zhang showed signs of distress. Video footage shows him in a state of apparent regret and emotional disarray.
The public’s reaction to the executions has been mixed, with many expressing contentment that justice has been served. This sentiment is reflected in nearly 200 million views and multiple supportive comments on Weibo, a prominent Chinese social media platform.
These public opinions align with a 2020 study that indicated a significant section of Chinese citizens support the death penalty. However, experts warn that online sentiments may not fully represent the wider public’s viewpoint.
