Man gets death penalty in balcony murder case

A man convicted of throwing a woman he had pursued for eight years from a high-rise apartment building has been sentenced to receive the death penalty, Qianjiang Evening News reported.

The Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court on Thursday found the 27-year-old man surnamed Xue guilty of intentional homicide for the March 21 slaying of the victim, surnamed Wang.

Xue had thrown Wang from the balcony of a 19th-story apartment that they shared together with another friend in a fit of jealousy, the court found.

The case has stirred controversy online ever since details of the case were released in August.

While some netizens called for Xue to be punished, many had condemned Wang because she had rebuffed Xue’s numerous romantic advances while accepting expensive gifts from him.

Wang and Xue had attended the same high school. During their friendship, Xue had expressed on many occasions he wanted to become romantically involved, but Wang refused.

The two kept in contact after Xue left to study in the US. During that time, Xue sent Wang a number of luxury gifts, such as handbags and jewelry.

He returned to China early this year in order to be closer to Wang. Soon after, he convinced Wang and her coworker to share an apartment with him in Hangzhou.

According to media reports, Xue became furious after discovering Wang had a boyfriend.

On March 21, Xue found her talking on the phone in the apartment with her boyfriend.

“It only took five seconds to push her from the room to the balcony. She didn’t try to fight back because she didn’t know what I was going to do,” Xue told prosecutors during his trial.

The crime occurred 40 days after Xue’s return from the US.

Xue’s counsel had sought a reduced sentence for his cooperation in the case.