Jiangxi driver gets death sentence with reprieve for hitting, killing family of three

On Friday, the Jingdezhen Intermediate People's Court sentenced a man to death with a two-year reprieve for "endangering public safety by dangerous means" after a high-speed driving incident resulted in the deaths of a family of three.

The defendant, identified as Liao, was also stripped of his political rights for life, according to the first-instance verdict.

The court found that at approximately 6:30 pm on Oct 2, 2024, Liao was driving an electric vehicle with a passenger, surnamed Sun, in the Zhushan district of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Following a verbal dispute with Sun and becoming frustrated by heavy holiday traffic, Liao accelerated despite warnings from his passenger to slow down.

At an intersection, Liao struck three pedestrians who were crossing the road: a 31-year-old man surnamed Hu, a 30-year-old woman surnamed Wang, and their infant son (less than one year old).

The infant died immediately at the scene, and Wang passed away despite emergency medical efforts on-site. Hu died later after being rushed to the hospital, according to a statement from the court.

The court ruled that Liao ignored traffic safety regulations and, despite knowing that pedestrian and vehicle traffic was heavy during the national holiday, continued to drive at excessive speed, causing three deaths. His actions constituted the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means.

However, taking into account that Liao applied the emergency brakes and attempted to avoid the victims after seeing them, the court sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve, the statement added.