Jin Xiangwu

Jin Xiangwu lived and worked in Luoyang, Henan province, north-central China, until his arrest on the charge of murder in March 2000. In February 2000 he lured three boys - Duan Keke, 10, Xue Yashan, 11, and Du Ruofei, 11 - into his store, offering free games. He and his brother, Jin Xiangyu, then stabbed the children to death. Jin claimed to have killed the boys because they had not paid the fee of 2.5 yuan (30 US cents) for two hours' playing in Jin Xiangwu's video arcade earlier that week. The brothers then removed the bodies to a nearby gully, where they were burnt.

Jin and his brother were arrested on March 5th, after the boys had been reported missing and the bodies discovered. Jin was tried by the Intermediate People's Court in Luoyang, and on March 27th he was sentenced to death. He was executed on April 17th 2000. Jin Xiangyu, his brother, received a sentence of ten years' imprisonment.