Society

Man faces death sentence for killing of 6 family members

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-14 13:52

BEIJING - A man may receive a death sentence for killing six family members -- including his own children -- in Beijing last year, after psychiatric assessments proved him competent to accept criminal responsibility, a court said Wednesday.

The Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court said the suspect, Li Lei, 30 and jobless, has been referred to prosecutors on murder charges.

Li was arrested in November last year in Sanya, a renowned scenic spot in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, after he hacked his parents, two sons, wife and sister to death on December 23, 2009, at their home in Beijing's Daxing District. Li's sons were aged one and six-years old.

"All six victims had already died of a sudden loss of blood when the bodies were found by his wife's younger brother," said prosecutors.

Li confessed to police he had been annoyed by his family, including his parents, sister and wife. He said they psychologically pressured him by expecting too much from him.

"I had thought about killing them for a year. I bought the knife... I do not regret the killings, except those of my two sons," Li told police.

The court did not give a specific date for Li's trial.