Plumber executed for killing ex-wife over assets

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-19 07:55

Man mutilated victim, got help from new lover to conceal body

A 41-year-old plumber from Shijingshan district was executed on Tuesday for the murder and dismemberment of his ex-wife, local media reported.

Ren Wenli had been sentenced during a trial in which prosecutors told the court that the murder was mainly about money.

The court heard that Ren and his ex-wife, surnamed Liu, had shared a 10-year marriage before divorcing early in 2009.

Ren promised Liu the family home and their 310,000 yuan in savings as well as custody of the couple's daughter as they prepared to part, asking only for their television set, according to Beijing Times.

However, he later regretted handing over their assets and tried to force his ex-wife to sell the home and share the proceeds because he intended to buy another house with his new lover.

He strangled his ex-wife while she slept on March 5, 2009, after she refused to give him money.

The court heard how he cut up her body in the bathroom and hid the pieces in a corner of the bedroom.

Ren then sold the house and bought another in the name of his new partner, reported Beijing Youth Daily.

In addition to being sentenced to death, Beijing's No 1 Intermediate Court ordered him to pay Liu's family 690,000 yuan in compensation.

Ren's lover, Jiao Wanhua, who helped Ren encase parts of his ex-wife's body in the cement of a patio at their new home, was sentenced to two years in jail for destroying evidence.

"After March 2009, I did not see my mother anymore but I did detect a strange smell in the house and my father even wiped the floor with wine," Ren's daughter told Beijing Youth Daily.

A worker, who helped Ren and Jiao move home, told the court about the stench in the house and about plastic bags that he carried to the removal van, according to the newspaper.

Jiao's son also told Beijing Youth Daily about two black plastic bags that he saw on the first day in their new home that disappeared later and about the foul smell in the home.

Liu's family reported Liu missing to police on March 22 and officers found Liu's body in cement at Ren's new home after a search.

"The wife was very nice and always took the daughter to the playground for an evening walk," a neighbor told Beijing Youth Daily. "But the husband was very quiet."

When asked before his execution whether he would like to have a last meeting with his daughter, Beijing Times said Ren murmured: "No. I am too ashamed."