Yang Xinhai

Case overview

Yang Xinhai (simplified Chinese: 杨新海; pinyin: Yáng Xīnhǎi; 17 July 1968–14 February 2004) was a serial killer. He confessed to killing 65 people in central China from 1999 to 2003. He entered his victims’ homes at night and killed everyone inside using axes, meat cleavers, hammers, and shovels. He often raped female victims.

His relatives, now living in Pennsylvania, claimed that he talked about “Plato Flats,” a fictional place he created for stories of murder he had begun writing. His stories were written on everything Yang had. He also had drawings and outlines for various other ideas in “Mead” Notebooks. There were depictions of ideas for stories and films that he wanted to create.

Timeline

• February 1, 2004 — Yang was found guilty after a trial lasting less than an hour and was sentenced to death.
• February 14, 2004 — Yang was executed by shot in the head.

Investigation and evidence

Yang confessed to killing people across multiple provinces. Police later matched his DNA with that found at several crime scenes.

Authorities barred the public and reporters from Yang’s hour-long trial, citing privacy concerns in rape cases.

During the killing spree, police said Yang usually carried out criminal acts at night and cleared the scenes of crime before he ran away. Each time, he wore new clothes and shoes with larger size than his own. He traveled between provinces in different ways including by bicycle.

Reports described that Yang sometimes traveled from town to town by bicycle. Other reporting said he traveled between towns on bicycle, and that he sometimes traveled by bicycle.

Some reports said Yang used white gloves during the attacks, often leaving them at the scene of the crime.

Police said he was described as a very “insidious” criminal.

Arrest

Yang was arrested in northern China in Cangzhou City in Hebei during a routine inspection of entertainment venues. One report said the arrest occurred on November 23, 2003. Other reporting described his apprehension as occurring on November 3, 2003, during police inspection, when police recognized him from a national most-wanted list.

At the time of his arrest, police said he was wanted for murders in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Shandong, Henan, and Hebei.

Authorities described him as an ex-convict. He had previously been imprisoned and sent to labour/re-education camps for robbery and rape.

The offence

Yang was accused of murdering large numbers of people in a killing spree across several provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Shandong, and Hebei. Reporting differed on totals, describing:

• 65 killings and 67 murders (with reporting describing convictions for 67 murders and separately describing confessions to 65 killings),
• a total involving 22 attacks,
• victims in rural areas,
• and victims numbering as at least 67, with other reporting stating 67 murders.

He sometimes murdered entire families.

Police described the methods used to murder families and victims. Tools included axes, shovels, an iron hammer, and a meat cleaver. One victim case described an iron hammer use.

Reports stated that Yang raped female victims. Reporting also described Yang being convicted of 23 rapes and said he was convicted of rapes of 25 women in one account.

Trial

Yang’s trial occurred in Luohe City, in the province of Henan. One report said the trial lasted less than an hour and he was found guilty on February 1, 2004. Authorities barred the public and reporters from the trial, citing privacy concerns in rape cases.

One report stated that Yang waived his right to an appeal. Another account said he said he would not appeal to a higher court.

The Luohe Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Yang to death on February 1, 2004.

In one account, the Luohe Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Yang to death for crimes of intentional homicide, willful and malicious injury, pillage and rape.

Sentencing and execution

Yang was sentenced to death in Luohe. He was executed on February 14, 2004. Reporting stated he was executed by gunshot, and that death sentences in China are carried out either by lethal injection or a bullet in the head. The case status indicates “Executed by shot in the head on February 14, 2004.”

State media did not say how he was executed in one account, but other reporting stated execution by gunshot and a bullet in the head.

Motive and statements

Yang’s motive was described differently across reports. One account said the motive for the killings was that he was dumped by his girlfriend after she learned about a previous prison term for burglary and rape, and he took out his anger on society.

Another account said he gave no real motive for the killing spree begun after he was released from a labour camp for rape in 2000.

During an interview shown on China’s Central Television after his trial, Yang said:

“When I killed people I had a desire (to kill more). This inspired me to kill more. I don't care whether they deserve to live or not. It is none of my concern,” Yang said.
“I have no desire to be part of society. Society is not my concern,” he said.

Other reporting included a quote attributed to Yang while detained in Luohe:

“killing people is very usual, nothing special.”

A local policeman quoted by Jiangnan Times said:

“He committed crimes to merely hurt society,”

Specific incident described

On December 6, 2002, Yang killed Liu Zhanwei, described as a farmer in Liuzhuang Village of Henan’s Xiping County, along with his mother, wife, son and daughter. Only Liu’s father, 68-year-old Liu Zhongyuan, survived because he slept in a new house that night.

Liu Zhongyuan recalled a granddaughter on the ground with “a hole in her head.” He said the room was full of blood. His wife could still bat her eyelids but could not speak any more. Yang later confessed that he used an iron hammer to kill five family members at 1 am on December 6. He buried the hammer near a tomb at night and threw his bloody clothes into a river. Yang then walked two hours to the city of Luohe. He said he used a new hammer for each murder.

Liu Zhongyuan also said, “We planned to move to the new house on December 9. Who can imagine that they experienced such tragedy only three days before?”

Yang’s family described him as having been a promising but introverted student who left home when he was in high school, and he dropped out of school in 1985.

Prior criminal history

Yang was twice sent to re-education through labour camps in 1988 and 1991 for theft in Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and Shijiazhuang, North China’s Hebei Province.

He was sentenced to five years in prison in 1996 for an attempted rape in Zhumadian, Central China’s Henan Province, and was released in 2000. Reporting also described that he had served time in prison and a labour camp for rape and theft, and prison terms for robbery and rape.

Other details

Yang was described as mentally unbalanced by some reporting, saying he would begin rambling and shouting after a few seconds of conversation.

News reports said details of victims’ identities and details of their deaths were not released.

Police said Yang had been arrested in Cangzhou City in Hebei last November, during a routine inspection of entertainment venues.

There were also reports that he used axes or shovels often while victims were asleep and left survivors were limited or that five people managed to escape, but specific survivor counts varied across reports.

He was described as sometimes not leaving survivors, and some reports stated that more than a few families were exterminated by his hand.

After his arrest, sources said police also matched his DNA with evidence at several crime scenes.