Dong Wenyu

Dong Wenyu (; 1978 – November 28, 2007) was a Chinese serial killer, rapist, and necrophile, responsible for a string of robbery-murders across three provinces between March and May 2006. He was sentenced to death and subsequently executed for his crimes the following year.

Early life and crimes Wenyu was born in Pingyang County, Zhejiang, in 1978. Wenyu's parents divorced while he was in elementary school, with his mother remarrying in another country, leaving Wenyu in the care of his grandmother. His father had a past checkered with theft convictions and wasn't well-liked in the village. He became even less concerned about his son after the divorce, leading to the 11-year-old Wenyu running away from home while in the second grade.

Murders, investigation and capture From March to May 2006, Wenyu drifted between the Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces, as well as others. His modus operandi was to climb through a window at night, armed with a knife, and break into residential buildings to carry out his criminal activities. During his crime spree, six people were murdered (five of them women), two were injured (one seriously), and four women were raped. The crimes were extremely cruel; if the owners were woken up by the noises, he would slit their throats with the knife and, with some of the female victims, rape their still-fresh corpses.

On July 6, 2006, the Ministry of Public Security issued a Class A arrest warrant, initiating a nation-wide manhunt for Dong Wenyu.

The following day, he was indicted by the Jiangnan Branch of Jinhua's Public Security Bureau for suspected homicide. On December 20, it was upheld by the Procuratorate of the Wucheng District.

Trial and verdict On May 16, the Jinhua Intermediate People's Court opened the first trial for the murder series, holding it in private because of privacy concerns.

On June 8, the court found him guilty of all counts and sentenced him to death, depriving him of political rights for the rest of his life, handing him a fine of 5,000 yuan, and confiscating all of his personal property. In addition, the court also fined Wenyu 520,000 yuan for various economic losses from the accompanying civil lawsuit. After the announcement of the sentence, he did not appeal it within the legal time limit.

During a subsequent psychiatric exam, according to Wenyu's own account, his childhood love of family violence and misfortune led to his strong antisocial behavior.

Execution On July 18, 2007, the Zhejiang Provincial People's Higher Court agreed to send an appeal for the conviction to the Supreme People's Court, which promptly ruled that the death penalty is an appropriate sentence for Dong Wenyu.

On November 28, 2007, Dong Wenyu was executed in Jinhua.