Chinese student prosecuted for killing girlfriend in Iowa

HANGZHOU - Student Li Xiangnan has been charged with the killing of his girlfriend Shao Tong, in the United States, Wenzhou City People's Procuratorate said.

Li, 24, a native of East China's Zhejiang province, is accused of strangling his girlfriend in a motel room in Iowa on Sept 7, 2014 and fleeing to China the next day.

A missing person's report on Shao was received by Iowa Police on Sept 17. Her body was found stuffed into the truck of a car on Sept 26.

China's Ministry of Public Security dispatched an investigation team to the US in early June to collect evidence.

Chinese police arrested Li for intentional murder on June 19 and transferred him to the procuratorate on November.

"Li deliberately killed his girlfriend out of affective problems in the relationship. The facts were ascertained and evidence sufficient, and the defendant shall be prosecuted for intentional homicide," the procuratorate said in a statement.

According to Chinese criminal law, punishments for intentional homicide range from the death penalty to imprisonment for 10 years.