Man confesses to murder 16 years after the killing

By Xu Fang  |   2008-11-10  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A 50-YEAR-OLD man confessed to murder over the weekend, 16 years after the death of his victim, whose skeleton was found in a sewer earlier this year.

Chen He was charged with murder by the Minhang District Prosecutors' Office.

On June 20 a worker, surnamed Wang, who was digging the sewers under a residential complex on Jian°?chuan Road, found a plastic bag buried 80 centimeters under the ground. The bag contained a skull, bones and hair. The police were called and told Wang to keep digging. Another bag was found containing more bones.

The police believed that the bones belonged to a woman around the age of 30.

A neighbor surnamed Li said she suspected the skeleton belonged to Chen Fengzhen, who lived in the community but disappeared on July 22, 1992, when she was 37.

Li told the police Chen He, a neighbor and colleague of Chen Fengzhen, had been suspected of murder. She said Chen He and the victim had enjoyed a good relationship and the victim had lent money to Chen He. Li said that after Chen Fengzhen went missing, Chen He always seemed to avoid talking to Li.

"After Chen Fengzhen went missing, I once saw Chen He's wife wearing her necklace," Li told police.

The story was backed up by another neighbor, surnamed Fang. She said Chen Fengzhen had lent 6,000 yuan (US$879) to Chen He and asked for Chen He's help finding a new job. Chen He failed to give her any help but when Chen Fengzhen asked for the money back, Chen He refused.

The victim's husband, surnamed Sun, said he went on a business trip the day before the disappearance of his wife. After he returned, his wife had disappeared and he never saw her again. He also heard from his wife's colleagues that she had lent money to Chen He, but Chen He denied it. The husband reported it to the police but the case was suspended because a body couldn't be found.