Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200810/20081016/article_377084.htm
Gang dismembered, cooked victims, court told
Created: 2008-10-16 18:12:59
Author:Lydia Chen
A BEIJING gang killed eight people over nine years, dismembering and cooking some of the victims, a court has heard.
From December 1999 to January 2007, the four member gang led by Beijing native Xia Keming, 44, killed business partners, a mistress and even a wife, for money or because they knew too much, the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court heard yesterday, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
In December, 1999, Xia asked his brother Xia Kezhi to kill Liu, his business partner as he suspected Liu had tipped off the police who had caught him smuggling in Tianjin Municipality.
The brothers then met up with Tao Chun, an ex-convict roommate of Xia Kezhi and hitman Yang Hui and together they strangled Liu before dumping his body near Beijing’s Beidai River.
Months later the gang killed a man called Li, Xia Keming’s boss when Xia said Li would not repay a 3 million yuan (US$439,194) loan, the court was told.
In December, 2002, the gang murdered another business partner surnamed Mi after he feel out with Xia Keming over funding a villa project in Beijing’s Huairou region.
Xia paid 1 million yuan to Mi’s ex-wife after the killing to take over Mi’s business.
In December, 2003, the gang killed another of Xia’s business partners, a man surnamed Wu and his girl friend so that they could take his property.
Xia Keming ordered the gang to kill a woman surnamed Du and her husband in January last year, this time they dismembered the two bodies before cooking and dumping them.
Du, a MBA postgraduate and a business partner with Xia Keming in a company in 1996, had been Xia’s mistress for a long time.
On the night the couple were slaughtered, Xia Keming went to Du’s office and stole her laptop. This was recorded on a security video and led the police to him and the undoing of the gang.
Xia Keming told the court that he killed Du because she knew too much and they had disagreed about business.
Yang Hui, one of the gang members, told the court that he had carried out all of the killings and he did it solely for money.
Yang, who killed his wife for being unfaithful, confessed that he was paid more than 700,000 yuan for the killings.
“I regarded the killings as work and have never had nightmares,” Yang told the court.
From December 1999 to January 2007, the four member gang led by Beijing native Xia Keming, 44, killed business partners, a mistress and even a wife, for money or because they knew too much, the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court heard yesterday, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
In December, 1999, Xia asked his brother Xia Kezhi to kill Liu, his business partner as he suspected Liu had tipped off the police who had caught him smuggling in Tianjin Municipality.
The brothers then met up with Tao Chun, an ex-convict roommate of Xia Kezhi and hitman Yang Hui and together they strangled Liu before dumping his body near Beijing’s Beidai River.
Months later the gang killed a man called Li, Xia Keming’s boss when Xia said Li would not repay a 3 million yuan (US$439,194) loan, the court was told.
In December, 2002, the gang murdered another business partner surnamed Mi after he feel out with Xia Keming over funding a villa project in Beijing’s Huairou region.
Xia paid 1 million yuan to Mi’s ex-wife after the killing to take over Mi’s business.
In December, 2003, the gang killed another of Xia’s business partners, a man surnamed Wu and his girl friend so that they could take his property.
Xia Keming ordered the gang to kill a woman surnamed Du and her husband in January last year, this time they dismembered the two bodies before cooking and dumping them.
Du, a MBA postgraduate and a business partner with Xia Keming in a company in 1996, had been Xia’s mistress for a long time.
On the night the couple were slaughtered, Xia Keming went to Du’s office and stole her laptop. This was recorded on a security video and led the police to him and the undoing of the gang.
Xia Keming told the court that he killed Du because she knew too much and they had disagreed about business.
Yang Hui, one of the gang members, told the court that he had carried out all of the killings and he did it solely for money.
Yang, who killed his wife for being unfaithful, confessed that he was paid more than 700,000 yuan for the killings.
“I regarded the killings as work and have never had nightmares,” Yang told the court.
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