A gay man in Hunan Province has been sentenced to death for organizing sex games leading to the deaths of six men, Hunan Morning News reported yesterday.
His arguments that he confessed and "intended no harm" were denied by the court.
Police in Changsha City found six male bodies in local hotels between October 11 and November 26. All victims were found naked and hanged to death. Police seized a suspect in a robbery on November 28 and he confessed he was the one who hanged the men.
According to officers, Zhou Youping published a public "invitation" on a gay website from September 2009, attracting volunteers with high payment to play sex games including hanging, which involves a high risk of death.
Zhou told police he knew the hanging game was risky so he never tried it, but he enjoyed watching others do it, the report said. He said he usually left the room after he felt satisfied, leaving victims still hung, the report said.
Zhou argued that the victims were volunteers and should have freed themselves.
Legal experts said his behavior belonged to "indirect intent," which means the suspect knows of a potential dangerous result but does nothing to stop it. Under the law, indirect intent to kill is the equivalent of murder.