BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Yang Yuqi) Recently, the murder of graduate students of the Chinese Academy of Sciences continued to attract attention. The reporter learned from Xie Zhonghua, the father of the victim Xie Diao, that the case will be pronounced in the first instance of Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court on the morning of the 30th, following the postponement of the trial on July 24th this year.
Regarding the upcoming verdict of the first instance, Xie Zhonghua said: "We firmly demand that the murderer be sentenced to death and believe in the fairness and justice of the court."
Xie Zhonghua and his relatives and friends attended the first trial. Photo by Yang Yuqi
The defendant held a trial in the first instance for the death penalty.
Defendant: If you have mental problems and surrender, you should be given a lighter sentence.
Xie Diao was a master’s student in Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was a high school friend with the defendant Zhou Kaixuan. Two years before the incident, the two had an altercation at a class reunion, and Zhou Kaixuan held a grudge.
In June, 2018, Zhou Kaixuan came to Beijing, and at a reception prepared by Xie Diao, Zhou Kaixuan stabbed Xie Diao seven times and killed him. After the incident was exposed by the media, it caused public concern.
On May 24 this year, the case was opened in the first instance of Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court. On the same day, the trial lasted nearly 4 hours, and both the prosecution and the defense had no objection to the facts and charges of Zhou Kaixuan’s crimes charged by the prosecution.
After the trial, Jiang Liping, the attorney of the injured party, told the reporter of Zhongxin. com: "The defendant Zhou Kaixuan has always been indifferent, basically accepting all the charges and asking the court to sentence himself to death."
Jiang Liping, attorney of the injured party, was interviewed by the media. Photo by Yang Yuqi
At that time, Jiang Liping introduced that the focus of the first-instance trial was mainly on Zhou Kaixuan’s mental state. She said that the defendant’s defender had always claimed that Zhou Kaixuan was in a poor mental state and applied for a psychiatric appraisal. At the same time, the other party also hopes to be given a lighter sentence in view of Zhou Kaixuan’s surrender.
Regarding the mental problems raised by the defendant’s defenders, before the verdict was pronounced, Jiang Liping told the reporter of Zhongxin. com that the problem of Zhou Kaixuan’s mental appraisal no longer existed: "The Opinions on Judicial Appraisal of Psychiatry submitted by Zhou Kaixuan’s family has made it clear that he has no mental illness when committing illegal acts. The obstacles to identification and control caused by symptoms are rated as full criminal responsibility."
As for Zhou Kaixuan’s surrender plot, Jiang Liping analyzed: "My judgment is that it should not affect sentencing." She said that although there was a plot of surrender, Zhou Kaixuan’s murder method was extremely bad and the consequences were particularly serious, so it could not be the reason for his commutation.
As for the upcoming verdict today, Jiang Liping believes: "It is still difficult to say what the result will be until the last moment." Jiang Liping said that she will also be present with Xie Zhonghua and her family at the court hearing on the 30th.
Xie Diao’s mother walked out of the court with Xie Diao’s photo. Photo by Yang Yuqi
Father of the victim:
Xie Mu suffers from mental illness and will appeal if she does not sentence the murderer to death.
Today, it has been more than a year since the incident. When talking about the sudden death of the child, Xie Zhonghua’s voice still choked: "On holidays, I still can’t help sending messages to my son’s mobile phone, but there will be no response at that end."
"If the child has no accident, he should graduate this year, and he will find a job in artificial intelligence technology." Xie Zhonghua recalled that Xie Diao had an interview in a company before his death, and the other party even offered an annual salary of 500,000 yuan.
But now, the whole family is hopeless. Xie Zhonghua told reporters that the couple can cry at any time when they think of the loss of their son, and they often wake up from their dreams after dreaming about their son. Up to now, both of them have never gone to work again, and their physical condition has gone from bad to worse.
Xie Zhonghua said that since the incident, the family of the defendant Zhou Kaixuan has never apologized. From the trial on May 24 to the present, in three months, the whole family has been worried about the verdict: "The child’s mother has been ill several times, and going to the hospital for examination is anger and stagnation."
The victim Xie Diao’s mother was treated in the hospital. Photo by Yang Yuqi
In fact, this case was originally scheduled to be pronounced in Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court on July 24 this year, but on the day of the verdict, the trial was postponed to this day due to the sudden physical discomfort of the presiding judge.
After learning that the sentence was postponed, Xie Diao’s mother also fainted in the court and was sent to the hospital. Xie Zhonghua told the reporter of Zhongxin. com: "Xie Diao’s mother is in poor health and has been diagnosed with neuralgia and depression."
Regarding the physical discomfort of the presiding judge, Xie Zhonghua also said that when he was in Beijing, he repeatedly said that he wanted to visit the judge, but he was rejected. "We still hope that the judge will pay attention to his health and this trial will go smoothly." Xie Zhonghua said.
It is understood that Xie Zhonghua has arrived in Beijing with his family on the 29th, waiting for the upcoming verdict.
"We insist on sentencing the murderer to death and believe in the fairness and justice of the court". Xie Zhonghua said that if this is not the result in the end, he will definitely appeal.