Old grudge possible motive in triple murder

Father, sons fatally stabbed in Shaanxi province on Lunar New Year's Eve

A court in Shaanxi province said on Thursday that it will review a ruling made in the 1990s that might have been at the root of a triple homicide during this year's Spring Festival.

A man identified in local media as Zhang Koukou, a villager from Hanzhong's Nanzheng district, allegedly stabbed three neighbors with a knife on Feb 15, which was New Year's Eve on the lunar calendar.

Two of the victims died at the scene, including Wang Zhengjun, and the other died in hospital. The victims were all surnamed Wang, the local government said on Wednesday.

Zhang was detained on Feb 17 after he turned himself in to police.

After an investigation, the police said Zhang had a strong animus against the Wang family, as 22 years ago the suspect's mother died after Wang Zhengjun, the third son of the family, injured her head with a stick during a quarrel, the authority said.

Then 17 years old, Wang Zhengjun was sentenced to seven years in prison for intentional injury, and the family paid more than 9,600 yuan ($1,510) in compensation.

Liu Xingping, a spokesman for the Hanzhong Intermediate People's Court, told China Daily on Thursday that the Shaanxi High People's Court has urged them to check the original ruling made by the district court.

"Such checks are normal in court work, but it doesn't mean a retrial," he said. "Judges from our criminal tribunal have been asked to go through the old ruling.

"If we find something important in the check, we'll release it to the public in a timely manner," he added.

The district government also released more details of the Spring Festival killing and the 1996 case.

It said Zhang was a soldier between 2001 and 2003, and after working a long time out of his hometown, he returned in August.

Wearing a cap and a mask, Zhang followed Wang Zhengjun and his elder brother, Wang Xiaojun, on Feb 15, and on their way back home the suspect allegedly used a knife to stab the two men several times.

Then he came to the Wang's residence and allegedly killed the victims' father Wang Zixin, who was sitting by the door. The 71-year-old father and the 47-year-old Wang Xiaojun both died at the scene.

In addition to Zhang's resentment, the statement added that Zhang and his family did not appeal to a higher court after the lower court gave the sentence to Wang Zhengjun.