A brutal murder case in Feixian county, Shandong province, shocked mainland China after a newlywed couple was killed by four men who broke into their home in 2013. The attackers robbed the couple before subjecting the bride to an eight-hour sexual assault in front of her husband, then killing both victims and hiding their bodies in a cave.
Known as the “Feixian family murder case”, the crime became one of the most widely discussed violent cases in mainland China due to its brutality.
The crime took place on May 15, 2013, when a woman reported her son, surnamed Huo, and his 24-year-old wife, surnamed Zhang, missing after being unable to contact them.
At the couple’s remote home outside the village, she found the door unlocked and the house in disarray. Police later discovered signs of a violent attack and found the couple’s bodies hidden under corn stalks in a cave about 300 meters from their home.
Investigators found that Huo had been repeatedly strangled with wires and chains before being suffocated with a plastic bag, while Zhang’s body showed signs of severe physical abuse, including burns and other injuries inflicted before her death.
A key breakthrough came after police recovered three plastic bags from a nearby river containing the victims’ belongings, including their marriage certificate, a bank card linked to 11,000 yuan (about HK$12,000) withdrawn from their account, and a low-income assistance card belonging to an elderly resident in Xintai, Shandong province.
Police traced the card to Fu, 26, the elderly woman’s son. Investigators later arrested his three accomplices: Zhang, 25, believed to be the group leader; Wang, 22; and Zhao, 17. The four suspects were captured on a long-distance bus in Ningyang county, Tai’an, three days after the killings.
The suspects confessed that they had previously broken into the couple’s home and developed criminal intent after seeing the bride’s wedding photos. They later hid near a cave close to the couple’s home before carrying out the planned robbery and attack.
On June 22, 2016, the Supreme People’s Court approved death sentences for Zhang, Wang and Fu, who were later executed. Zhao avoided the death penalty because he was under 18 at the time of the crime and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
It was later reported that Zhao’s sentence was reduced to 22 years for good behavior, sparking public anger over the possibility of his release while still in his 30s or 40s.
The case has remained a widely discussed example in debates over whether juvenile offenders involved in extremely violent crimes should receive lighter punishments.
