Two former prison inmates who formed a partnership behind bars were sentenced to death for the brutal murders of five nightclub hostesses in Shenzhen, a case that has raised questions about China's parole system.
The case came to light when maintenance workers discovered human remains in a sewer pipe in Shenzhen's Luohu district.
The two men, Lin Hu and Xie Bingyou, met while serving time at Lechang Prison in Guangdong province, and committed the murders between December 2011 and June 2012, according to court documents.
The pair lured victims to hotel rooms or a rented apartment under the pretense of paid sex, then robbed and murdered them.
Prosecutors detailed how the pair dismembered their victims' bodies, boiled the parts, and disposed of them in sewer systems across different neighborhoods.
In September 2014, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court delivered its verdict, sentencing Lin and Xie to death for robbery and murder, with lifelong deprivation of political rights and individual fines of 300,000 yuan.
The judge emphasized that since both defendants had reoffended within five years of completing their previous sentences, severe punishment was warranted.
During their trial, the two defendants showed little remorse and expressed their intent to appeal the verdict.
The case has sparked public outrage over China's parole system. Lin had been serving a life sentence for robbery but was released after just nine years, while Xie's 12-year sentence was reduced to six.
