A man and his mistress have reportedly been executed after they were found guilty of murdering the man's two children to start a new family together.
Zhang Bo and his girlfriend, Ye Chengchen, were executed on Wednesday following the recent approval of their death sentence by China's top court, as reported by China Daily.
The grim incident unfolded in 2020 when Zhang was found guilty of callously throwing his two children from a previous relationship from the 15th floor of a residential tower in southwest China's Chongqing.
Ye, implicated as an accomplice, was convicted for coercing Zhang into committing the heinous act. The court revealed that she perceived the innocent two-year-old girl and one-year-old boy as obstacles to their relationship and played a pivotal role in disguising the murders as a tragic accident, according to The Independent.
Despite being sentenced to death in 2021, the couple's execution was carried out only this week after a protracted appeals process, leading to a second trial. The Chongqing High People's Court upheld the original ruling, deeming the sentences fitting for the severity of the crime.
The Supreme People's Court, upon review, concurred with the lower court, stating that both Zhang and Ye played primary roles, and their overall influence was equivalent. The court condemned their "despicable" motives and "brutal" means, asserting that such actions warranted severe consequences in accordance with the law.
While the exact method of execution remains unclear, China commonly employs lethal injection.
Zhang's relationship with Ye began without her knowledge of his marriage and children. Following his divorce in February 2020, Ye pressured Zhang to eliminate his two children, whom she viewed as hindrances to their future together.
Chen Meilin, the children’s mother, said that Zhang had asked to take care of his daughter on the day he killed them both, per the Express.
"At that time, Zhang was on a video phone call with Ye. She slit her wrists and then Zhang got scared. The phone was dropped, he picked up the two children, and threw them from the balcony," Chen said.
She went on: "The moment I heard my kids were actually thrown out of the 15th floor by their father and the mistress, I couldn’t find any words to describe my feelings.
“I couldn’t imagine what my kids had experienced from the 15th floor to the ground. Were they desperate? Were they afraid?"
The court heard that Zhang, grief-stricken and remorseful, was captured on video after the incident, displaying signs of immense distress, including banging his head against a wall and uncontrollable sobbing.
The chilling crime sent shockwaves across China, not only for its cold-blooded premeditation but also due to the age of the victims. Their executions swiftly became a trending topic on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, amassing nearly 200 million views.
Death sentences are not uncommon in China, as they are handed out for serious crimes like murder, drug trafficking, and corruption.
