Gruesome. It’s the only way to describe the tale of homicidal and violent criminal activity spanning 20 years over much of China which has now come to an end with the other half of a notorious pair handed the death penalty.
Yesterday, 30 November, at 09:30, the case of Lao Rongzhi was pronounced in the second instance in the Jiangxi High Court, upholding the first-instance verdict dating from September, 2021, and calling for Lao’s execution.
Lao will leave behind her a serial killer’s list of victims, although she has never actually taken a life herself. Nevertheless, Lao was key accomplice to the murders through her aiding and abetting of her partner in the kind of spine-chilling manner only usually imagined by Hollywood.
Her life of crime began when Lao was aged just 22, as the girlfriend of Fa Ziying, who was about to spend the next 3 years on a murderous rampage. As The Paper reports, after his capture in 1999, Lao would spend the next 20 years hiding under new identities, until it all caught up with her to then finally come to an end yesterday.
Murders, Robbery, Kidnapping, Hiding, Apprehension, Sentencing; a Lao Rongzhi Timeline
1996
Fa becomes embroiled in a fight and stabs others with a harpoon. He leaves Jiujiang in Jiangxi with Lao, who had previously been a primary teacher in the Jiujiang Petrochemical Company Children’s School.
July 1996
The two flee to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Lao enters a local dance hall with the stolen ID card of “Chen Jia”.
28 July, 1996
Lao Rongzhi lured a man surnamed Xiong to her rental home in Nanchang, where Fa kills Xiong, before going to his home to steal his property and there, kill both Xiong’s wife and 3-year-old daughter.
29 July, 1996
The Public Security Bureau of Nanchang in Jiangxi, open a robbery and intentional homicide case, and issue a wanted order on 18 August to pursue the suspects, Fa and Lao.
August 1996
Lao and Fa go to Wenzhou, Huangyan (now Taizhou), Nanjing, Guangzhou, Macao, Beijing, Hangzhou, Hefei and other places, staying for only 10 days in each.
October 1997
Lao and Fa flee to Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, to rob and steal from people surnamed Liang and Liu, killing them both.
1998
Lao and Fa flee to Changzhou in Jiangsu Province. After luring their next victim, surnamed Liu, to their rental home, Fa, hiding by the door, kidnaps Liu. Fa stabs Liu in the chest and Lao then ties him up with iron wire, asking him to call his wife. When Fa goes out to collect the ransom, Lao again threatens Liu with his life. The two rob Liu of ¥70,000 and leave. It is the only case regarding which the two people shall make a statement.
21 June 21, 1999
Lao and Fa flee to Hefei in Anhui Province. Lao goes to a local dance hall under the pseudonym of “Shen Lingqiu”, where she meets an apparently rich local man, surnamed Yin.
22 July, 1999
Yin is invited by Lao to her rental home. Upon entering, he is kidnapped by Fa and locked in a prepared cage. In order to threaten Yin, Fa tricks a repair man, surnamed Lu, to the home on the pretext of fixing a window. Fa kills Lu in front of Yan Mouhua and hides his corpse in a freezer that Lao had bought in advance.
23 July, 1999
Fa and Yin’s wife agreed on a time to pay the ransom. Fa is asked to wait at home under the excuse of raising the money, and the time is used by Yin’s wife to entrust colleagues to report the case to the police. Hefei Public Security Bureau officers and the three riot-police teams rush to the scene and surrounded Room 409. Fa is captured on the spot. Lao flees.
18 November, 1999
The case of Fa’s suspected kidnapping, intentional homicide and robbery is heard in Hefei Intermediate People’s Court. By the opening of the first instance, Fa has covered for Lao seven times. Fa is sentenced to death.
28 December, 1999
Fa is publicly executed.
1999 – 2019
Lao lives a life in hiding under the pseudonym of “雪莉” (Shirley). Xiamen police of Fujian Province will later disclose that she makes a living doing odd jobs, together with taking short-term jobs in bars, KTV joints and other places.
28 November, 2019
Exactly 20 years after fleeing, Lao is captured by police at a watch counter in Dongbai Caitang Plaza in Huli District of Xiamen.
5 December, 2019
Nanchang Public Security Bureau send personnel to escort Lao back to Nanchang.
17 December, 2019
The People’s Procuratorate of Nanchang approve the arrest of Lao according to law.
31 August, 2020
The People’s Procuratorate of Nanchang file a public prosecution to Nanchang Intermediate People’s Court regarding the case of Lao, who is suspected of intentional homicide, kidnapping and robbery.
21 & 22 December, 2020
Upon listening to the indictment in a court session to hear the case, Lao claimed she was coerced by Fa into participating in the crimes. The prosecution believes that Lao is the principal perpetrator of a series of crimes. Her criminal means were extremely cruel, the criminal consequences of which extremely serious, harm to society great and her subjective malignancy extremely deep.
9 September, 2021
The Nanchang Intermediate People’s Court publicly announce in the first instance that Lao is guilty of intentional homicide, kidnapping and robbery, deciding to execute the death penalty. Lao expresses dissatisfaction and makes a subsequent appeal.
18 – 20 August, 2022
The Jiangxi High Court hears the appeal. The two sides express their opinions on whether Lao’s actions constitute the crime of intentional homicide, her role in joint crimes and whether the sentencing in the first instance was too heavy. At the end of the trial, Lao makes a final statement. The court adjourn.
30 November, 2022
The first-instance verdict is upheld by the Jiangxi High Court.
