A high-profile trial has concluded in China's Yunnan province. A local court found a 14-year-old teenager guilty of intentional murder and rape, sentencing him to life imprisonment. Now, the victim's side is demanding the death penalty for the killer, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
According to court documents, the crime was committed in the summer of 2025. The accused assaulted a 15-year-old classmate who was returning home from a party. Fearing the crime would be exposed, he strangled her to death. The court classified the incident as an exceptionally brutal crime. It is reported that the teenager fully confessed to his guilt.
The victim's family considers the court's sentence insufficiently severe. In an interview with local media, the girl's father demanded that the killer be sentenced to death.
However, legal experts believe this demand is almost impossible to fulfill, as Chinese law prohibits the application of the death penalty to minors.
According to reports, amendments were made to the Criminal Code of China in 2021, lowering the age of criminal responsibility for serious crimes. Under current laws, individuals aged 14 to 16 can be held criminally liable for murder, rape, and other grave offenses.
This incident in Yunnan has once again demonstrated that the view of "a life for a life" remains strong in Chinese society. Meanwhile, human rights organizations continue to call on the country to abolish the death penalty.
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