Li Wenxiang (Chinese: 李文香; pinyin: Lǐ Wénxiāng;[1] 1952 – after 1996), sometimes mistransliterated Li Wenxian and also known as the Guangzhou Ripper, was a Chinese serial killer who was active between 1991 and 1996 in Guangzhou, China. He killed 13 women and was sentenced to death.[2]
Li Wenxiang | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 |
| Died | December 1996 or thereafter |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Other names | Guangzhou Ripper |
| Occupation | Migrant construction worker |
| Conviction(s) | Murder, rape, robbery |
| Criminal penalty | Death sentence |
| Details | |
| Victims | 13 |
Span of crimes | 1991–1996 |
| Country | China |
| Location(s) | Guangzhou |
Victims
editLi murdered 13 women, including a woman surnamed Wang (王某). Li also attacked a woman surnamed Xie (谢某).[1]
Murder case
editLi's first victim was found 22 February 1991, a woman in her early twenties. She had been mutilated; her genital region had been removed after the sexual assault took place. Li struck 5 more times over the next 6 months, typically following a similar method, with the bodies typically being left amongst the voluminous trash heaps overflowing in the city's "floating" district. Many of these residents were terribly impoverished, and Li's victims were exclusively sex workers.[3][4]
The attacks abruptly stopped; given China's policy of downplaying such crimes, the matter was thought to have resolved itself, until another victim's corpse washed ashore in the then-British colony of Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reported that the victim had to have buoyed from the mainland, as no corresponding missing persons reports had been filed. The victim had been slit nearly her entire body length, and then sewn together again, with fingers severed. The head of Guangzhou's provincial Criminal Investigation Department said: "In all my thirty years with the force, I have never come across anything like this. Perhaps he copied from the West."[5][6][7]
The murders continued, sometimes with the use of a hammer, until in November 1996, when Li inadvertently left a victim alive. She identified Li, who she knew to be a migrated ex-farmer who had joined a local construction crew. Li quickly confessed, stating his motivation as antipathy towards sex workers, as one had allegedly scammed him soon after his arrival in the city. The Intermediate People's Court found him guilty on all counts and sentenced him to death on 18 December 1996.[8][9][10][11][12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "1996年，轰动广州的连环杀手被捕，据他交代一共杀害13名女性". 法制山西. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ Schechter, Harold; Everitt, David (2012) [1996]. The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Pocket Books. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-4165-2174-7. Retrieved 2022-08-14 – via Google Books.
- ^ Schechter, Harold (2003). The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 119–120. ISBN 0-345-46566-0. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Newton, Michael (1999). Still at Large: A Casebook of 20th Century Serial Killers Who Eluded Justice. Port Townsend, Washington: Loompanics. pp. 104–105.ISBN 1-55950-184-7. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Newton, Michael (2000). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Checkmark Books (Facts On File). pp. 139–140. ISBN 0-681-28940-6. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Serial killer stalks city streets but press remains silent". Toronto Star. Reuters. 1992-05-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Chan, Gary (1992-03-02). "Police hunt 'Ripper' of Guangzhou". South China Morning Post. p. 3. ProQuest 1753802112
- ^ Kohut, John (1992-06-14). "Canton Ripper's grisly record remains a secret". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Kohut, John (1992-06-20). "China living in ignorance of the 'Guangzhou Ripper': A serial killer is stalking the streets of Guangzhou, yet the authorities are determined no one should know this. John Kohut reports". South China Morning Post. p. 22. ProQuest 1541290542.
- ^ "'Sold organs in market'". The New Paper. 1995-01-06. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via NewspaperSG. Ministry of Communications and Information.
- ^ "He kept body parts in jars". The New Paper. 1995-01-06. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via NewspaperSG. Ministry of Communications and Information.
- ^ Chong, Yaw Yan (1995-01-06). "Guangzhou Ripper". The New Paper. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-02-26 – via NewspaperSG. Ministry of Communications and Information.