A woman in northeast China was brutally murdered by a man, who also tried to boil her baby in a wok.
The incident took place in Anmin Town, Dandong City, on Nov. 15. Police have arrested Sun Chuanjun, the ex-husband of the victim’s sister, as the murder suspect, according to the Liaoshen Evening News.
Xu Xiaoli, 22, died from multiple stab wounds, and her abdomen was cut open. Her 2-month-old daughter received severe burns, after she was put into an iron pan with boiling water.
During the struggle before Xu’s death, her neighbor heard someone yelling for help, and ran outside.
“When we got to the door, the suspect was on top of Xu Xiaoli; there was blood all over the floor,” the neighbor told Liaoshen Evening News. “Sun Chuanjun threatened to kill us if we approached him. He ran into the house and grabbed the baby girl, placing her between his legs and taking off on a scooter.”
Sun reportedly then took the baby to his father’s house, and put her in a large wok half-filled with water. Then he put a rock on top of the lid, and turned the heat on.
When Sun’s father came home, he heard the child’s cries coming from the kitchen, and rescued her from the pot.
The case is currently under investigation, but Sun’s motives for the murder are not yet known. Gong Chundi, the baby’s aunt and ex-wife of the suspect, told the media that she does not know why Sun did this. The couple divorced in July, and have apparently had little contact since then.
Gong and their 11-year-old son were staying at her sister’s house, but everything with Sun seemed amicable, according to Gong. “Mentally he appeared normal,” she added. “He liked to gamble, but didn’t drink much.”
Dr. Xin from the Guoli Burns Hospital in Shenyang City said that Xu’s baby is in a stable yet critical state, and being cared for around the clock with blood and plasma transfusions.
“Her right arm and right leg have three to four degree burns, and her muscles have been damaged as well ...” he said, adding that she is now in the infection stage. “She is too small and has little immunity. If there is a complication from the infection, her life will be in danger.”
Many netizens commented about the murder on their Sina Weibo microblogs. One said, “That’s too brutal!” Another wrote, “He’s worse than an animal!”
A third said, “What happened to Chinese society? Isn’t it also part of the government’s responsibility to stress the importance of law, and promote traditional moral values? Healthy social trends must be fostered. Stop digging for money! It’s never too late to fix a problem!”
Research by Hsin-Yi Lin.
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