Woman arrested in connection with killing of Hunan judge

Prosecutors in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province, said they have approved the arrest of a woman on Monday in connection with the killing of a judge last week.

The Changsha People's Procuratorate posted the approval via its official WeChat platform, saying the woman, surnamed Xiang, was detained because she allegedly committed the crime of intentional homicide.

According to the post, Xiang comes from the same town as the judge, surnamed Zhou, who worked for the Hunan High People's Court.

It said Xiang stabbed Zhou with a knife several times, leading to the judge's death, in an underground parking garage below Zhou's Changsha apartment at about 7 am on Jan 12, after the judge refused to bend the law in a labor-related lawsuit Xiang had filed in her court. Xiang was caught by police at the scene.

The prosecutors' investigation showed Xiang had tried to give a box of fruit, in which she put 20,000 yuan ($3,079) and a golden bracelet, to Zhou on Sept 7, 2020. Xiang assumed Zhou would help her win the lawsuit as they are from the same town, but Zhou refused.

Considering Xiang did not take the money and the bracelet back after being told to do so several times, Zhou, accompanied by her court colleagues, went to Xiang's home and returned them on Sept 10, it said.

Zhou's refusal to aid in the lawsuit angered Xiang, so Xiang applied for a cleaner's job in Zhou's community on Jan 4, aiming to be closer to Zhou and an opportunity to seek revenge, the procuratorate's post said.

Now, further investigation is still underway, the prosecutors said, adding they will strictly apply the law to prosecute the offender.