Chinese Court Sentences a Man to Death For Killing, Torturing a Toddler

A man in China has been sentenced to death for murdering his girlfriend’s two-year-old son.

Lin Jiancai was given the death penalty today after he was found torturing his partner’s toddler baby before killing him in 2019.

The child killer is seen appearing at a regional court in north-western Chinese city Xi’an on Tuesday with a full-body protective suit, a face mask and goggles as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In November 2018, Lin moved in with his girlfriend, known by her surname Xu. She also brought her toddler son, nicknamed Tang Yuan, to stay with them, according to a court report.

Whilst living together, the baby boy was often beaten and physically abused by Lin.

On July 24, 2019, Lin returned home while being intoxicated, the authorities said.

The man first used a chopping board and spatulas to hit Ms Xu and her son’s head. He also threw the baby to the floor while violently kicking and stamping the young child.

Lin then killed the toddler boy after drowning him in a bathroom sink and forcing strong liquor into the baby’s mouth, the court heard.

The child’s mother suffered injuries during the incident.

Lin was arrested on July 9, 2019, according to previous media reports.

In a trial on Tuesday, the Intermediate People’s Court of Xi’an sentenced Lin to death and deprived him of political rights for life for the crime of intentional homicide.

Pictures released by the officials show the child killer standing in court while wearing personal protective equipment while receiving the sentence.

The authorities said Lin had conducted the killing over ‘trivial matters’, without specifying the man’s motive.

‘The defendant Lin Jiancai used cruel methods to kill the victim Xu after being drunk only because of trivial matters,’ the court said in the statement.

‘His crime was particularly bad and the consequences were particularly serious.’

It remains unclear when Lin’s execution will be carried out.