Photo: VCG

Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on Friday issued the first-instance verdict in the case of a 14-year-old male student who murdered a female classmate living in the same residential compound, China News Service reported. The defendant, surnamed Zhong, was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for life, the report said.

The court found that Zhong and the victim, surnamed Pan, who was the same age, were classmates. Zhong grew resentful toward Pan, purchased a folding knife, and waited for a chance to carry out the attack.

At around 7 pm on April 8, 2025, as Pan was about to go up  stairs near her home, Zhong attacked her with the knife, stabbing her multiple times and causing  fatal injuries. Pan died despite emergency resuscitation.

The court ruled that Zhong intentionally and unlawfully took another person's life, constituting the crime of intentional homicide.

The court added that Zhong premeditated the attack, used particularly cruel methods, and acted under egregious circumstances and displayed deep subjective malice, all of which warranted severe punishment under the law.

The sentence of life imprisonment and permanent deprivation of political rights for life represents the maximum penalty permitted for minors , China News Service reported, citing Xiong Qiuhong, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law and vice president and secretary-general of the Chinese Association of Criminal Procedure Law.

Xiong noted that excluding minors from the death penalty is a widely accepted practice in the international community.

She added that given Zhong's premeditation, baseless motive, deep malice, exceptionally cruel methods, egregious circumstances, and severe consequences, a life sentence is appropriate.

Echoing Xiong, Zeng Zhihui, senior partner and director of the criminal department, Guangdong Huasui Law Firm in South China's Guangdong Province, said the verdict upholds the principle that the punishment fits the crime. 

Xiong said that sentencing a 14-year-old to life imprisonment for such a serious crime reflects China's principle of "showing mercy but not indulgence" toward juvenile offenders.

He noted that because minors are still developing, the legal approach emphasizes educating, rehabilitating, and reintegrating them, offering an opportunity for reform and reintegration into society, Xiong said.

Zeng added that the case reflects both the special protection afforded to minors and the unwavering severity of the law toward violent crimes, underscoring that young age is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for heinous offenses.


Global Times