According to the Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, the Supreme People's Court recently made a ruling in accordance with the law on the case of the defendant Lao Rongzhi's death penalty for intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, and approved the death sentence of Lao Rongzhi. During the review period, the Supreme People's Court interrogated the defendant in accordance with law. Lao Rongzhi entrusted a defense lawyer to defend him, and the defense lawyer consulted the file materials, met with the defendant, and submitted defense opinions. The Supreme People's Court conscientiously listened to and examined the defense opinions, fully safeguarding the procedural rights enjoyed by the defendants in accordance with law. The Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, served the Supreme People's Court's criminal ruling on Lao Rongzhi. Lo Rongzhi apologized to the victim's relatives. On the morning of December 18, 2023, the Nanchang Intermediate People's Court carried out the death sentence of Lao Rongzhi in accordance with the execution order issued by the Supreme People's Court. The Nanchang Municipal People's Procuratorate dispatched personnel to supervise the scene in accordance with law. The Nanchang Intermediate People's Court arranged for Lao Rongzhi to meet with his close relatives before the execution.
The Supreme People's Court reviewed and confirmed that between 1996 and 1999, the defendant Lao Rongzhi and his lover Fa Ziying (who had been approved and executed in a separate case) conspired to commit robbery, etc., and that Lao Rongzhi engaged in escort services in entertainment venues, looked for the target of the crime, and jointly committed violence with Fa Ziying, robbed other people's property or kidnapped others for extortion. The two jointly committed four cases of robbery, intentional homicide, and kidnapping in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and Hefei City, Anhui Province, resulting in a total of seven deaths. In Nanchang, Lao Rongzhi lured the victim Xiong Moujia to his rented residence, and together with Fa Ziying, robbed Xiong Moujia's belongings, killed Xiong Moujia, and divided his body; Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying jointly entered the house in Wenzhou to rob the victim Liang Moumou's property, forced Liang Moumou to deceive the victim Liu Moumou to the scene to commit a robbery, and killed Liang Moumou and Liu Moumou in order to kill them. In Changzhou, Lao Rongzhi lured the victim Liu (A) to his rented residence to kidnap him, tied up, guarded and threatened Liu (A), and together with Fa Ziying, forced Liu (A) to call his wife Liu (B) to prepare a ransom, and Lao Rongzhi took Liu (B) to the scene and collected the ransom. In Hefei, Lao Rongzhi lured the victim Yin XX to his rented residence to kidnap him, participated in tying up and guarding Yin XX, added threatening words to the ransom note, purchased a freezer used to hide the body of the innocent victim Lu XX, and together with Fa Ziying, put Yin XX in a steel cage, killed Lu XX and cut off his head to threaten Yin XX, and caused Yin XX's death.
The Supreme People's Court held that the defendant Lao Rongzhi and the criminal Fa Ziying deliberately and unlawfully deprived others of their lives, and their conduct constituted the crime of intentional homicide; that Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying used violence and threats to rob other people's property for the purpose of illegal possession, and that their conduct constituted the crime of robbery; and that Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying kidnapped others for the purpose of extorting property, and their conduct also constituted the crime of kidnapping. In the joint crime, Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying carefully planned, carefully planned, had a clear division of labor, and cooperated with each other. Lo Rongzhi has always been proactive and has played a vital role, and he is also the principal offender, and should be punished in accordance with all the crimes in which he participated. Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying deliberately killed five people; the robbery resulted in the death of one person, and the robbery led to a robbery of property worth more than 30,000 yuan, a huge amount; the kidnapping and killing of one kidnapped person, and extorting more than 70,000 yuan in property; the circumstances of the crime were particularly heinous, the methods were particularly cruel, the subjective malice was extremely deep, the personal danger and social harm were extremely great, and the consequences and crimes were extremely serious, and should be punished according to law. The punishment for several crimes committed by Lo Rongzhi should be combined. The facts ascertained in the first-instance judgment and second-instance judgment are clear, the evidence is credible and sufficient, the conviction is accurate, and the sentencing is appropriate. The trial proceedings were lawful. Accordingly, the Supreme People's Court approved the Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court in accordance with the law to uphold the first-instance judgment that the defendant Lao Rongzhi was sentenced to death for intentional homicide and deprived of political rights for life, sentenced to death for robbery, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property, and sentenced to death for kidnapping, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property, and decided to carry out the criminal ruling, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property.
Previously reported on the topic
On the morning of November 30, 2022, the Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court publicly pronounced the second-instance verdict in the appeal case of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping of Lao Rongzhi.
The Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, found in the first instance that between 1996 and 1999, the defendant Lao Rongzhi conspired with Fa Ziying (who had already been executed), and that Lao Rongzhi engaged in escort services in entertainment venues, looking for targets for the crime, and Fa Ziying carried out violence. The two jointly committed four crimes of robbery, kidnapping, and intentional homicide in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and Hefei City, Anhui Province, resulting in the death of seven victims. After the incident, Lao Rongzhi absconded for a long time using pseudonyms such as "Shirley", and was arrested by the public security organs on November 28, 2019. The Nanchang City Intermediate People's Court found that defendant Lao Rongzhi had committed the crimes of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, and that he was punished concurrently for several crimes, and decided to carry out the death sentence, deprive him of his political rights for life, and confiscate all his personal property.
After the verdict was pronounced, Lo Rongzhi appealed. The Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court heard the case in open court from August 18 to 20, 2022. The facts ascertained in the second instance are consistent with those found in the first instance. The Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court held that in the joint crimes of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, Lao Rongzhi actively carried out acts such as finding, deceiving, binding, guarding, and threatening the victims, stepping on points, withdrawing money, and purchasing tools for committing crimes. There is no evidence to prove that Lao Rongzhi was mentally controlled and coerced by Fa Ziying, and that Lao Rongzhi also played a major role in the joint crime, and should be found to be the principal offender in accordance with law.
The Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court held that appellant Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying deliberately and unlawfully deprived others of their lives, constituting the crime of intentional homicide, using violence and threats to rob other people's property for the purpose of illegal possession, and kidnapping others for the purpose of extorting property, constituting the crime of kidnapping. The several crimes committed by Lao Rongzhi should be punished in accordance with the law. Lao Rongzhi and Fa Ziying deliberately killed five people; the robbery resulted in the death of one person and was a robbery involving a huge amount of money; the kidnapping resulted in the death of one person, the circumstances of the crime were particularly heinous, the methods were particularly cruel, the consequences and crimes were extremely serious, the subjective malice was profound, and the harm to society was great, and they should be severely punished according to law. The grounds of appeal and defense opinions of Lao Rongzhi and his defense lawyer, such as that Lao Rongzhi did not constitute the crime of intentional homicide and that he was an accessory or coerced accessory, were inconsistent with the facts ascertained in the second review, had no basis in law, and were not accepted in accordance with law. The facts ascertained in the first-instance judgment are clear, the evidence is credible and sufficient, the conviction is accurate, and the sentence is appropriate. The trial proceedings were lawful. The ruling rejected the appeal, upheld the original verdict, and reported the death sentence to the Supreme People's Court for approval in accordance with law.
During the second-instance trial, the court protected the procedural rights of the appellant Lao Rongzhi and his defense lawyer in accordance with the law. More than 60 people, including some relatives of the parties, some deputies to the National People's Congress, members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, some media reporters, and people from all walks of life, attended the announcement of the verdict online or offline.
Second instance
On the morning of August 18, 2022, the second-instance trial of the high-profile Lao Rongzhi case was held in the Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court.
The trial will continue at 9 a.m. on August 19. Lao Rongzhi's family, reporters, and some members of the public attended the trial. Lao Rongzhi and his defender objected to the jurisdiction of the case, which was rejected by the court in accordance with law. Lo has denied prosecution charges of "intentional homicide."
During the trial, the prosecution and defense mainly presented evidence and cross-examined the "Nanchang Extinction Case" and the "Wenzhou Rental House Murder Case", and Lao Rongzhi admitted the robbery and theft in the "Nanchang Extinction Case" and denied the premeditated kidnapping and murder. Regarding the accusation of killing the two people in a rental house in Wenzhou, Lao Rongzhi argued that he was only responsible for negotiating with the victim about renting a house, and that the binding and killing of the two was committed by Fa Ziying. Lao Rongzhi argued that "the incident has already happened, and she can't help it."
The prosecution believes that the confessions of Fa Ziying and Lao Rongzhi, as well as the testimony of witnesses, can prove that Lao Rongzhi was an accomplice in the Nanchang murder case and the Wenzhou rental house murder case, and that Lao Rongzhi's previous confession contradicted today's statement in court.
First instance
On the morning of September 9, 2021, the Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, the court of first instance, publicly announced the verdict that Lao Rongzhi was guilty of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, and decided to carry out the death penalty, deprive him of political rights for life, and confiscate all his personal property.
At that time, the court held after trial that the defendant Lao Rongzhi and others had intentionally and unlawfully deprived the victim of his life, and his conduct constituted the crime of intentional homicide; his act of robbing the victim's property by violent and threatening means for the purpose of illegal possession constituted the crime of robbery; and his act of kidnapping the victim for the purpose of extorting property constituted the crime of kidnapping. Lao Rongzhi played a major role in the joint crime and is the principal offender, and shall be punished in accordance with all the crimes in which he participated. After Lao Rongzhi was brought into the case, he truthfully confessed the fact of his kidnapping in Changzhou, which was a confession. Lao Rongzhi intentionally killed five people; robbery caused the death of one person, the amount of robbery was huge, and there were circumstances of robbery; kidnapping caused the death of one person and extorted more than 70,000 yuan for ransom; the circumstances of the crime were particularly heinous, the methods were particularly cruel, the subjective malice was extremely deep, the personal danger and social harm were extremely great, and the consequences and crimes were extremely serious, and should be punished according to law. Although there are confessional circumstances, it is not enough to give a lighter punishment. Lao Rongzhi committed several crimes and should be punished concurrently in accordance with law. The judgment was accordingly rendered.
The scene of the first instance (source: Nanchang Intermediate Court)
Lo Rongzhi was dissatisfied with the verdict and appealed in court.
It is understood that in the second trial, Lao Rongzhi's family changed his defense lawyer.
From 1996 to 1999, Lao Rongzhi and her boyfriend Fa Ziying committed crimes in Nanchang, Wenzhou, Hefei and other places, involving many homicides. In 1999, Fa Ziying was arrested in Hefei, Anhui Province, and was executed in the same year. On November 28, 2019, Lao Rongzhi, who had been on the run for 20 years, was captured by the public security organs in Xiamen.
Timeline of the Lo Rongzhi case:
On November 28, 2019, Lao Rongzhi, who had been absconding for 20 years with seven lives, was arrested in Xiamen. At the time of his arrest, Lo Rongzhi was selling watches in a shopping mall in Xiamen.
On December 3, 2019, the police released the details of Lao Rongzhi's arrest and interrogation, and he refused to admit his true identity, claiming to be "Hong Moujiao" from Nanjing, and was locked by the police using DNA comparison.
On December 5, 2019, Lao Rongzhi was handed over to the Nanchang police by the Xiamen police, and the Nanchang police set up a special team to conduct a surprise interrogation of Lao Rongzhi.
On December 17, 2019, the People's Procuratorate of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, approved the arrest of criminal suspect Lao Rongzhi in accordance with the law.
On August 31, 2020, the People's Procuratorate of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, filed a public prosecution with the Nanchang Intermediate People's Court against Lao Rongzhi on suspicion of intentional homicide, kidnapping, and robbery in accordance with the law.
On December 21, 2020, the trial of Lao Rongzhi's case began, and the wife of one of the victims, the "little carpenter", attended the trial, and expressed in court that she did not accept the apology of Lao Rongzhi and his family, and hoped that the law would give a fair trial. During the trial, Lo Rongzhi denied some of the accusations, claiming that he was coerced by Fa Ziying.
On December 22, 2020, the two-day trial ended. During the trial, the procuratorate held that Lao Rongzhi was the main culprit, and that the robbery caused the death of five people, the kidnapping caused the death of one person, and the intentional homicide caused the death of one person. Lao Rongzhi refused to admit his guilt in court, his subjective malice was extremely deep, and in order to protect himself, he did not sincerely repent, breaking through the bottom line of humanity and the law.
On September 9, 2021, the Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, publicly announced the first-instance verdict in the case of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping of defendant Lao Rongzhi in accordance with law. Defendant Lao Rongzhi was found guilty of intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, and was sentenced to death to death, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property. Lo Rongzhi was dissatisfied with the verdict and appealed in court.
On September 23, 2021, the Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court officially filed the appeal case against Lao Rongzhi.
On August 18, 2022, the second-instance trial was held.
On the morning of November 30, 2022, the Jiangxi Provincial High People's Court publicly announced the second-instance verdict in the appeal case of Lao Rongzhi's intentional homicide, robbery, and kidnapping, ruling to reject the appeal, uphold the original verdict, and report the death sentence to the Supreme People's Court for approval in accordance with law.
On the morning of December 18, 2023, he was executed.
Source: Political Affairs