Lesbian nurse, 29, is sentenced to death for murdering her ex-lover 'by stabbing her 196 TIMES after she refused to lend her money to fuel her gambling addiction'
- The killer chased the victim down eight floors while knifing her in China
- The fatal attack took place after the former lovers quarrelled over money
- A friend said the culprit was a gambling addict and had borrowed £84,000
- The criminal was given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve last year
- But the victim's family wanted an immediate execution and lodged an appeal
A 29-year-old Chinese woman has been sentenced to death after murdering her ex-lover who allegedly refused to continue lending her money to fuel her gambling addiction.
Victim Wang Lei, 26, was stabbed 196 times by her ex-girlfriend Fang Yao, then 28, when they met in a hotel to discuss about money, a mutual friend told MailOnline.
The knife-wielding killer chased Ms Wang from the ninth floor to the first floor following a quarrel, slashing her in the neck and body, according to a local court. Ms Wang died at the scene and Fang fled the hotel.
Wang Lei (left), 26, was stabbed 196 times at a hotel by her ex-girlfriend Fang Yao following a quarrel over money. Their mutual friend Tang Liping revealed details of the incident to MailOnline. From left to right, Ms Fang, Ms Wang and Ms Tang are seen in a picture (right)
Share this article
The incident took place at around 5:30am on January 30, 2018, in the city of Yongzhou, southern China's Hunan Province.
Ms Fang was detained by police on the same day.
She was found guilty of intentional homicide and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by the Yongzhou Intermediate People's Court at a first trial on December 20, according to court paper viewed by MailOnline.
Death sentence with a reprieve is a type of death sentence under the Chinese Criminal Law. The convicted individual is given a two-year reprieve from the execution. At the end of the two-year term, the sentence will be reduced to life imprisonment if the individual does not commit further crimes within the period.
The incident occurred in January, 2018, in Yongzhou, a city of around five million resident in China. The killer has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, but the victim's family demand her executed immediately. The victim's parents have filed an appeal to the court
Ms Wang's parents had demanded the court give Ms Fang an immediate execution.
The court said Ms Fang was eligible for a lighter punishment because she had admitted to her crime to police. In addition, Ms Wang and Ms Fang had been girlfriends, therefore the case was partially caused by emotional disputes, the court deemed.
The court also ordered Ms Fang's family to pay 32,997 yuan (£3,855) to the victim's family as financial compensation.
Ms Wang's parents said they were unsatisfied by the court's decision and insisted Ms Fang be given a death sentence without a reprieve.
They have appealed against the court's ruling and are awaiting a date for a second trial, according to Tang Liping, a mutual friend of Ms Wang and Ms Fang.
'My daughter died tragically under Fang's knife. Fang's parents have not even said "sorry" to us since the incident took place,' Ms Wang's father, a farmer, wrote on social media on Monday.
'I hope the court can give Fang a death sentence and execute her immediately to let the murderer pay the price of life,' the devastated man, named Wang Jianhua, urged.
Ms Tang, a 29-year-old businesswoman, told MailOnline: 'The ruling was not severe enough.
'A death sentence with a reprieve will be reduced to life imprisonment. Life imprisonment will then be reduced to fixed-term imprisonment.'
She added: 'We can't let a killer out of the jail in, for example, 15 years to hurt more people.'
Ms Tang, who had been best friends with the victim for 15 years, said Ms Wang's body was still kept at a local morgue by her heart-broken parents, who are waiting for the case 'to be ruled justly'.
Ms Fang became addicted to gambling in 2017 and had repeatedly borrowed money from the victim, said their mutual friend. Ms Fang was said to launch the attack after the victim had refused to lend more money to her. She chased the victim down eight floors and stabbed her
According to Ms Tang, both Ms Wang and Ms Fang worked as nurses.
She alleged that the couple had loved each other very much, but their relationship worsened in early 2017 when Ms Fang became addicted to online gambling.
Ms Fang was said to start borrowing money from Ms Wang and her friends again and again.
Ms Wang said Ms Fang had borrowed at least 720,000 yuan (£84,000) from various sources, including at least 280,000 yuan (£32,000) from Ms Wang and 200,000 yuan (£23,000) from herself.
It is claimed Ms Fang had never paid the money back to the lenders.
Ms Fang was detained by police in 2017 after using a knife to threaten Ms Wang, forcing her to lend more money to her after Ms Wang had initially said no, according to Ms Tang.
The couple broke up the same year.
The murder occurred when the former lovers met in a hotel month later so that Ms Fang could write an IOU to Ms Wang, Ms Tang added.
Ms Tang said Ms Wang was found to have 196 stabbing wounds all over her body, citing a postmortem report.
Speaking on behalf of Ms Wang's grieving parents, Ms Tang said the Wang family were seeking legal help for the second trial.
'I hope a good lawyer can contact my friend's family and help them seek justice,' she added.
The date of the re-trial is yet to be announced by the court, it is understood.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
