Man sentenced to death for killing ex-girlfriend in Anhui

A court in Anqing, Anhui province, has sentenced a man to death for the murder of his former girlfriend, a 22-year-old university student, according to media reports.

The Anqing Intermediate People's Court delivered the first-instance verdict on Tuesday, finding the defendant, surnamed Lin, guilty of intentional homicide.

Court documents show that the victim, surnamed Li, met Lin online in 2018. The two entered a romantic relationship in late 2022 but broke up at the end of August 2024 following disputes. Prosecutors said Lin believed Li had been unfaithful and decided to kill her and any person he suspected of having an intimate relationship with her.

In preparation, Lin purchased items including a triangular military knife and a stun gun, the indictment said. On Nov 1, 2024, he strangled Li to death in a rented apartment in Anqing, according to media reports.

After the killing, Lin hid the body under a bed and turned the air conditioner to cooling mode at 16 degrees Celsius, according to media reports. He later discarded Li's mobile phone, watch, and the weapons he had purchased near a riverbank and along a dike.

Lin fled the scene at around 11 pm on the night of the crime and was arrested in Qianshan, Anhui province, on Nov 3, 2024.

The case was publicly heard at the Anqing Intermediate People's Court on Sept 19, 2025. The verdict is subject to further judicial review under China's legal procedures for death penalty cases.