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In court, husband admits gruesome murder of wife

By Ma Zhenhuan in Hangzhou | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-05-14 15:47

Xu Guoli stands trial on murder charge at the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang province, on May 14, 2021. [Photo/CCTV News]

The trial of a man who admitted killing his 53-year-old wife, Lai Huili, opened at Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Friday.

Xu Guoli, 55, Lai's husband, confessed in court that he killed his sleeping wife on the morning of July 5 because of family conflicts and then dismembered her body and discarded the remains around the residential community where the couple lived.

Xu blamed frequent family conflicts in recent years for his actions, adding that the couple had grown apart for economic reasons. He said he purchased knives and other tools in preparation for the murder.

Late on July 4, Xu put sleeping pills into his wife's milk and later smothered her with pillows. He dismembered her body in the toilet using a cutting tool he had purchased.

Lai's mysterious disappearance went viral on the internet in July. None of the surveillance cameras around her residence provided any clues to her whereabouts, causing heated debate online. Netizens discussed the details of the case and speculated about what might have happened to the woman.

To ensure that no key evidence was overlooked, local police in Hangzhou retrieved more than 6,000 hours of surveillance videos from around the community and organized more than 100 police officers to scrutinize them.

The police also interviewed people in 379 households in the six residential buildings of the community, and launched an inspection of the community's sewage and piping system, underground parking lots and balconies.

The police also drained the community's septic tank, where they found human tissue. DNA analysis tied the remains to the missing woman, and Xu was arrested on July 23.

The court also heard a civil complaint raised by Lai's two daughters on Friday, asking for compensation of 2.71 million yuan.

The court will announce a decision in the case later.

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