Posted on 02/14/2004 4:52:57 AM PST by gdyniawitawa
SERIAL KILLER EXECUTED
A man convicted of 67 murders has been executed in China following one of the worst crime sprees in the nation's recent history.
Yang Xinhua, 38, was convicted of killings in the central province of Henan and three other provinces during a string of attacks over a three-year period.
Yang was also convicted of 23 rapes during his crime spree, which began following his release from a labour camp where he served a term for rape and theft.
Little is known about his motives, but earlier reports said Yang had been dumped by his girlfriend and "desperately wanted to retaliate against society".
Yang confessed and police matched his DNA with that found at several crime scenes, earlier reports said.
Meanwhile, a farmer who poisoned 161 children at the school where he was employed has been sentenced to death.
Xu Guohua was sentenced at the Yueyang Intermediate People's Court in Hunan province "recently," the Xinhua news agency reported.
At the time of his sentencing, 26 of the children were still so sick from the poisoning they had not yet been released from hospital.
Xu was upset after seeing his benefits at the school reduced, and laced food in the school kitchen with rat poison at some point last autumn, according to Xinhua.
The poison wound up in cakes that were prepared for the children on September 23.
Xu later showed remorse, saying he only wanted a bit of revenge and had not imagined his action would have such grave consequences.
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