Li Pingping

Overview

Li Pingping was a Beijing taxi driver who killed seven people and dismembered victims. He was executed on June 15, 2004, after a Beijing court sentenced him to death in March.

Timeline

• May 1980 — Li Pingping was put under one-year surveillance for sexual harassment.
• December 1985 — Li Pingping was jailed for six months for theft.
• May 1995 — After he was sacked from a food company, Li Pingping killed his ex-employer Song Shutian, Song's wife, and Song's 12-year-old daughter.
• 1995 (same year as the killing of Song Shutian) — Li Pingping set fire to Song Shutian's home, which gutted seven rooms and valuables, and he stole two rings and a TV recorder worth 2,560 yuan (US$310).
• April 1995 — Li Pingping set fire to the house of another man, Wan Baoming, causing a loss of more than 57,000 yuan (US$6,880).
• November 2002 — Li Pingping began killing prostitutes after picking them up at local nightclubs and having sex with them at his home.
• June 2003 — Beijing police captured Li Pingping.
• April 2003 — Li Pingping stopped killing the prostitutes.
• March 2004 — The No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing sentenced Li Pingping to death and sentenced his wife, Dong Meirong, to 15 years in prison.
• June 15, 2004 — Li Pingping was executed.

Background

Li Pingping was 44 years old. He worked as a taxi driver with a Beijing-based company and earlier had worked as a boiler worker. He was sacked from a food company and was later detained and jailed for prior conduct.

In May 1980, he was put under one-year surveillance for sexual harassment. In December 1985, he was jailed for six months for theft.

After he was sacked from a food company, Li Pingping killed his ex-employer Song Shutian, Song's wife, and their 12-year-old daughter in May 1995. He also set fire to Song's home the same year and stole items from the house.

Li Pingping also set fire to another man's house in April 1995, causing a loss of more than 57,000 yuan (US$6,880).

The offence

Li Pingping killed seven people. The victims included four prostitutes and a family of three. He dismembered bodies and dumped remains in a garbage pit near his home.

Prostitutes killed between November 2002 and April 2003

Li Pingping picked up call girls/prostitutes from local nightclubs. He had sex with them at his home and then killed them. The killings occurred between November 2002 and April 2003.

He murdered four girls/prostitutes during that period. He killed and dismembered them and dumped the remains in a garbage pit near his home. Court documents indicated that he dismembered bodies of three women and buried the parts, while they did not state how he disposed of the fourth.

Li Pingping stated that he murdered these girls because he thought they made money more easily than taxi drivers. He was alleged to have engaged in transactions with call girls from local nightclubs and killed four girls after having sex with them at his home.

Killing of Song Shutian, Song's wife, and Song's 12-year-old daughter

In May 1995, after he was sacked from Song's food company as a boiler worker, Li Pingping killed Song Shutian, Song's wife, and their 12-year-old daughter. This was described as murder of a family of three.

In an attempt to cover up his crime, Li Pingping set fire to Song's home, which gutted seven rooms and valuables. He also stole two rings and a TV recorder worth 2,560 yuan (US$310) from Song's home.

Arson against another man's house in April 1995

Li Pingping set fire to the house of another man, Wan Baoming, in April 1995. The fire caused a loss of more than 57,000 yuan (US$6,880).

Investigation and arrest

Li Pingping was captured by Beijing police in June 2003. Police found dismembered bodies of the victims in a garbage tip near Li's home.

Trial and sentencing

The No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing sentenced Li Pingping to death in March. The court also sentenced his wife, Dong Meirong, to 15 years in jail for helping him commit the murders and harboring/keeping stolen money and aiding and concealing evidence.

Li Pingping’s sentencing was described as compliance with the verdict passed by the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing.

Outcome

Li Pingping was executed on Tuesday, June 15, 2004.

Other details

Li Pingping’s wife was named Dong Meirong. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison for helping with the murders and keeping stolen money, and for aiding Li and concealing evidence.