Teen sentenced to life in prison for killing classmate with a shovel

china - A teenager in China has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally beating his 13-year-old classmate with a shovel. The court also sentenced his accomplice to 12 years in prison.

In China, a teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his 13-year-old classmate, Wang, with a shovel. The court also sentenced his accomplice to 12 years in prison. In March, two 13-year-old boys in Hebei province were reported to have beaten their classmate Wang to death with a shovel and buried him in an abandoned greenhouse.

The court ruled that the boys' actions were brutal and deemed them criminally responsible due to their ages being between 12 and 14 at the time of the crime. The teenager identified as Zhang received a life sentence, while his accomplice Li was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Wang's family and lawyer had previously stated that Wang had been bullied at school by three classmates for a long time.

It was reported that Zhang took Wang to the greenhouse on a scooter on March 3, while Li and another friend, Ma, also went there. Li told Ma on the way about Zhang's plan to kill Wang. When the four children reached the greenhouse, Zhang started attacking Wang with a shovel, and Li assisted him. Witnessing the attack, Ma left the scene. After burying the victim, Zhang used Wang's phone to transfer money to Li and himself. Zhang instructed Ma to destroy the SIM card from the victim's phone. Ma eventually confessed to the murder and led the authorities to the crime scene.

The court found Zhang guilty of planning the crime and inciting his friends to participate, while Li was charged as an accomplice for actively taking part in the crime and sharing the money. Ma was not involved in the murder and will undergo rehabilitation for juvenile delinquents.