"Man Sentenced to Death in China for Murder After Deliberately Throwing Bricks from High-Rise When Out of Money"

A Chinese court sentenced a man to death for throwing bricks from a high-rise apartment and killing a passerby.

According to an SBS report on the 14th, Zhou (23), the suspect who deliberately threw bricks from a high floor of an apartment, causing the death of one pedestrian and injuring another, was sentenced to death by a Chinese court.

This photo is not directly related to the content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

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The incident occurred on June 22 in Hongqi Street, Changchun City. At the time, the victim Luo had come from Beijing to Changchun City to visit a friend and stepped outside around 10 p.m. to eat street food in front of the apartment.

As soon as she exited the apartment's main gate, three bricks fell from the sky toward her. One brick fell to her left, another behind her, and the remaining one struck her head. Luo collapsed on the spot after being hit by the brick.

Street shop owners who witnessed the accident immediately called an ambulance, but Luo died shortly after being transported to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in China, deliberately throwing or dropping objects from high places has become a growing social issue. In May, an incident occurred where a flowerpot was dropped right next to a girl walking down the street, and there was also a case where a fire extinguisher was thrown from an apartment hallway window.
[Photo by SBS News]

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The suspect Zhou threw bricks eight times toward unspecified people on the ground at the time of the crime, and Luo was hit by one of them.

Police investigations revealed that he had thrown trash and bricks dozens of times during the five days after moving into the apartment. He also testified that after running out of money, he deliberately threw bricks he picked up on his way home.

Accordingly, the Changchun City prosecution charged Zhou with threatening public safety. He was accused of threatening others' lives by deliberately throwing bricks from a high-rise building to harm unspecified people due to his inability to support himself and dissatisfaction with the world.

Above all, Zhou's stated motive for the crime further enraged people. He said, "I had no reason to live, and although I wanted to fall, I was scared. I thought if I killed a passerby and received the death penalty, I could have euthanasia."

It is known that on the day of the incident, after confirming that someone on the first floor was hit, he immediately surrendered to the police station. The prosecution sought the death penalty, citing Zhou's lack of remorse during the investigation and the brutality of his method.

In response to the prosecution's death penalty request, he admitted to all crimes and said he also wanted the death penalty. However, Zhou's parents requested a psychiatric evaluation, stating that their son had a history of mental illness, but the evaluation concluded with a "no abnormalities" opinion.

The court sentenced Zhou to death as requested by the prosecution.

The victim Luo's (28) younger sister said in an interview with local media, "He entered the courtroom with a smile on his face, which was chilling just to see. Only after the sentence was pronounced did the smile stop."

In China, there were as many as 9,400 incidents of objects being thrown from high-rise buildings in the year 2020 alone.
[Photo by SBS News]

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Meanwhile, in China, incidents of deliberately throwing or dropping objects from high places are becoming a social problem. In May, a flowerpot was dropped right next to a girl walking on the street, and there was also an incident where a fire extinguisher was thrown from an apartment hallway window.

In addition, in 2020 alone, there were 9,400 cases of objects being thrown from high floors. As such incidents frequently occur, China revised its criminal law to establish the crime of high-altitude throwing and strengthened punishments, but related accidents continue unabated.

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