2016 Yema village stabbings
| 2016 Yema village stabbings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Yema village, Huize County, Qujing, Yunnan, China |
| Date | 28 September 2016 |
Attack type | Mass stabbing, parricide, spree killing, pedicide |
| Weapons | Pickaxe |
| Deaths | 19 (including perpetrator's mother and father) |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrator | Yang Qingpei |
| Motive | Argument over money; attempt to cover up crime |
On 28 September 2016, a mass stabbing occurred in Yema, a rural village in Huize County, Yunnan, China. The perpetrator, 27-year-old Yang Qingpei, murdered his parents after they refused to lend him money to help pay off gambling debts, then killed 17 neighbors across six houses in an attempt to cover up the crime.[1] Yang was sentenced to death in July 2017.[2]
Background
Yema is located in the mountaineous region of southwestern Yunnan and cut off from the surrounding Daibu Township due to its high 8,000 feet (2,400 m) elevation. Most of the village's inhabitants are elderly. The killings took place in the Baifengwan hamlet, which is remote within the village itself.[3][4]
According to his wife, Yang had been living in Kunming with her and their children. He had begun acting coldly after his parents sent him a reduced allowance of ¥500 instead of ¥1,000, which prompted his return to Yema.[3] A friend stated that Yang was a compulsive gambler and heavily in debt since his move to Kunming.[4]
Victims
The victims, aged 3 to 72, belonged to six families, including Yang's own. Eleven were male and eight were female, also including four children.[5] While only his parents were confirmed to be related to Yang, The New York Times noted that ten of the victims had the same surname, three of whom also shared the same generation name as Yang. Neighbours from Daibu Township also told reporters that "most of the dead" were relatives to him.[4]
Aftermath
Police were informed of the killings the morning on 29 September, at 7:50 a.m. Yang was arrested the same day in Kunming, 33 hours after the killings took place.[4] Yang went on trial on 18 July 2017, where he apologized to the relatives of the victims and pled guilty to all charges.[6] On 28 July, Yang was sentenced to death.
See also
References
- ^ "Chinese man 'killed 17 neighbours to cover up murder of parents'". BBC. 30 September 2016.
- ^ Sephton, Conner (28 July 2017). "Man who killed parents and then 17 neighbours to cover it up given death penalty in China". Sky News.
- ^ a b "Wife of suspect in Yunnan mass murder says he had been acting strangely". South China Morning Post. 3 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Forsythe, Michael (30 September 2016). "Chinese News Outlets Play Down Killings of 19 in Mountain Village". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ "Man in China slaughtered 19 after family argument: Police". The Straits Times. 30 September 2016. ISSN 0585-3923.
- ^ Mengjie (28 July 2017). "Chinese man sentenced to death for killing 19 in pickaxe massacre". Xinhuanet.