Killer's world was crumbling, police say

Career and love setbacks, coupled with antisocial behavior and narrow-mindedness, allegedly drove Xiong Zhenlin to murder eight people, police told China Daily yesterday.

The 35-year-old reportedly told police he had planned to kill nine more people with whom he had conflicts, including his ex-wife Liu Jihua, on Chinese New Year's Eve.

But only last year Xiong was a millionaire admired by villagers in his hometown in Luoyang township in Suizhou city, Hubei province.