The retrial of a man who was given a death sentence for killing eight people, including a 2-year-old boy, began at 9 a.m. Friday in a court in central China's Hubei Province.

The Intermediate People's Court of Suizhou said Friday the retrial was presided over by judges from the Hubei Provincial Higher People's Court.

Xiong Zhenlin, a junk collector, was convicted of killing eight people in Luoyang Township on Jan. 4, 2009. He was arrested in the provincial capital Wuhan a week later.

The victims included five of his employees, a local resident named Xia Guangxiu who had come to sell waste material, a 43-year-old woman named Zhu Deqing, whom Xiong hoped to marry, and Zhu's 2-year-old grandson, according to court records.

Xiong's first trial was held at the Intermediate People's Court of Suizhou on Feb. 9.

The court was told that the murderer, who divorced last September, decided to take revenge on society after his hopes of remarrying, either to his ex-wife or Zhu, were thwarted.

Local police said Xiong's crimes were also motivated by financial difficulties and his psychological state.

Xiong was convicted of murder and sentenced to death the same day as his initial trial.

He entered an appeal on Feb. 12, saying he was drunk when he committed the murders and deserved leniency for his confession.

It is not immediately known when the retrial will end.

Under Chinese law, appellate rulings are final. All death sentences must be reviewed by the Supreme People's Court.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2009)