Gambling addiction, debt drove nanny to set house on fire

Mo Huanjing, the nanny who started a fire that caused the death of her female employer and the employer's three children, was sentenced to death by a first instance judgment at the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Friday.

The verdict ruled that Mo, who was burdened with heavy debts due to gambling, sought nanny jobs in 2015 to escape debt. In September of 2016, Mo, through an agent, obtained a live-in nanny job at the home of Zhu Xiaozhen and Lin Shengbin in Hangzhou.

On the night of June 21, Mo lost over 60,000 yuan ($9,480) through online gambling. To raise more money, Mo decided to win over Zhu's gratitude by starting a fire at Zhu's home and extinguishing it, the verdict said.

Between 2 to 4 am of June 22, Mo surfed the web on her mobile phone on how to set fire at home and its related consequences. At around 5 am, Mo ignited books through a lighter and the fire soon spread to sofas and curtains in the living room, leading to the death of Zhu and her three children. Trapped by the huge fire, they died due to inhalation of carbon monoxide.

The verdict said the fire fighters took proper measures after receiving the fire report, but loopholes in fire safety at the residential compound and the malfunctioning of the fire fighting water supply system delayed the fire fighting process.

The Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court heard the trial on Feb 1 and announced the sentence on Friday morning. It is currently unclear whether Mo will appeal the verdict.