Changyin & Changping Shen

Case overview

Changyin Shen and Changping Shen were convicted and sentenced to death for killing and dismembering 11 women, and for cannibalism involving the victims’ livers. They were described as brothers and were identified as Chinese serial killers. The case involved murders of prostitutes between June 2003 and August 2004, with Li Chunling and three other female accomplices.

Timeline

• June 2003 — The Shen brothers began murdering prostitutes in Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
• Late November 2003 — The Shen brothers robbed Li Chunling using a similar method as their earlier robbery.
• April 2004 — The Shens moved to Taiyuan, Shanxi.
• August 31 (year not stated) — Police in Hebei raided an apartment rented by Shen Changyin, Shen Changping and their female accomplice Du Surong after a tip-off.
• August 2004 — The Shens and an accomplice, Du Surong, were caught in a Shijiazhuang apartment while trying to douse a dismembered body of a victim with acid.
• September 2, 2005 — The Shens were sentenced to death.
• September 3, 2005 — A report described the death sentences and associated details.

The offence

The Shen brothers murdered 11 women and dismembered the victims’ bodies. The murders involved forcing victims to provide financial account information and robbing them. Cannibalism was reported as eating the livers of victims.

Victim Yao Fang

Their first victim was Yao Fang. They lured Yao Fang to a house, tied her up, and took away her room key. After forcing her to provide her bank account PIN, they strangled and dismembered her.

Victim Li Chunling

In late November 2003, the Shens robbed Li Chunling in the same manner as Yao Fang. They decided against killing her when she offered to bring them more victims. When Li brought them a prostitute several days later, the brothers robbed her and then forced Li to kill her. After murdering Li’s victim, the Shens removed the kidney, burned the body with sulphuric acid, and flushed it down the toilet.

Li Chunling also received the death sentence, for killing at least one of the victims.

Victim(s) forced through Zhao Meiying

After moving to Taiyuan, Shanxi in April 2004, the Shens lured Zhao Meiying to their rented residence and forced her to bring a prostitute to their home. The Shens forced Zhao to stab the woman and put the body in a meat processor before flushing the chemical-dipped pieces down the toilet.

Additional killings

After murdering three more women in the same manner, the Shens and Li moved to other locations and continued killing.

Investigation

In August 2004, the Shens and an accomplice, Du Surong, were caught in a Shijiazhuang apartment while trying to douse the dismembered body of a victim with acid. The Shens confessed to robbing and killing 11 women.

The arrest was described as following a tip-off, and police in Hebei raided an apartment rented by Shen Changyin, Shen Changping and Du Surong. Officers found a dismembered corpse of a woman along with tools, more than a dozen stolen bank cards, cash, and jewellery. The case reports described bodies as “brutally dismembered.”

Arrest

The Shen brothers were caught in Shijiazhuang in August 2004 while trying to douse the dismembered body of a victim with acid. Police raided an apartment on August 31 following a tip-off, and found evidence including a dismembered corpse, tools, stolen bank cards, cash, and jewellery. Du Surong was also involved and was identified as a female accomplice.

People

Defendants

• Shen Changyin — born 1975; described as the elder brother and aged 30 in one report. He confessed to killing a man in 1999 in Henan.
• Shen Changping — born 1983; described as aged 21 and 22 in different reports.
• Du Surong — born 1983 in one report’s narrative; described as aged 23 in one report.

Additional individuals named

• Li Chunling — described as a sex worker; aged 23 in one report; received a death sentence for killing at least one victim. She was described as an accomplice.
• Yao Fang — first victim; lured to a house, tied up, and murdered by strangling followed by dismemberment.
• Zhao Meiying — aged 26 in one report; forced to bring a prostitute and to stab the woman who was killed.

Other accomplices

Three other female accomplices were sentenced to three to 20 years in prison for their role in the killing spree, and a total of three other female accomplices were mentioned in addition to Li Chunling.

Confessions and prior incident

Shen Changyin also confessed to murdering a man in 1999 in his hometown of Nanwu, Henan. Another account described the same confession as occurring in 1999 in Huojia County in Henan’s central province. The brothers fled in 2000.

Sentencing

The Shen brothers were sentenced to death in September 2005, with the specified sentencing date given as September 2, 2005. Li Chunling was also sentenced to death. Three other female accomplices were sentenced to three to 20 years in prison.

Outcome

The death sentences were imposed on Shen Changyin and Shen Changping on September 2, 2005, and the brothers were executed.

Aftermath

The reported details included that the trio robbed and killed 11 women and stole cash. One report stated they stole a total of 120,000 yuan (A20,000) in cash. Another report described jewellery and stolen bank cards being found at the apartment during the raid. The report also stated that the bodies had been “brutally dismembered” and did not provide why they killed the women or any further details.