Seven criminals of an armed gang were sentenced to death for crimes of willful murder, robbery, robbery of guns and ammunitions and theft Wednesday in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.
All their property was confiscated and their political rights removed for life, according to a verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming.
The court discovered that during the period between April 1997 and May 31, 2000, Yang Tianyong and Xiao Lin colluded with each other to obtain money through violent means. Later, Teng Diandong, Chai Guoli, Xiao Li, Zuo Shuguang and Yang Mingcai joined them.
They stole two guns and 24 motor vehicles with a value of over 3.7 million yuan. They also killed 19 people and injured one during their robberies. The gang then dismembered and destroyed the bodies to cover up their crimes.
The court held that each member of the gang had committed several crimes, and according to related stipulations of the China Criminal Law, they each deserved the concurrent punishment for the crimes.
(Xinhua 10/25/2000)
