Man sentenced to 4 yrs for attempted homicide with gas in Henan province

A man surnamed Liu from Xiping county, Henan province, was recently sentenced to four years in prison for attempted intentional homicide after breaking into another person's home and opening a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder, according to Procuratorate Daily.

Around 4 am on Feb 25, 2025, a villager surnamed Li was awakened when his wife smelled gas in the living room while using the restroom. She discovered that their previously closed liquefied petroleum gas cylinder had been turned on and promptly shut it off. Noticing signs of forced entry and disturbed or damaged household items, Li suspected an intrusion and reported it to the local police.

Investigators soon identified Liu as the suspect and criminally detained him on March 3, 2025, for alleged intrusion into a private residence.

During questioning, Liu said he suspected his wife of having an improper relationship with Li and claimed he only intended to "scare" Li. He stated that around 3 am on Feb 25, he used a telescopic ladder, a pressure regulator, and an 8-meter-long plastic hose — items he had purchased in advance — to scale the wall into Li's kitchen and pipe the gas into the living room.

Subsequent investigations by local prosecutors revealed that a significant amount of toxic, highly flammable, and explosive liquefied petroleum gas had been released inside Li's home that night. Additionally, witness testimony showed that Liu had previously expressed hostility toward Li, even stating, "If I'm going to die, I'll take someone down with me."

Evidence also indicated that Liu and his wife were in a divorce dispute in early 2025, and forensic examination of his mobile phone showed repeated searches for phrases such as "What poison added to water can kill someone instantly?" and "Fast-acting poisons lethal within one minute."

Liu was discovered to have further searched online for queries like "Can inhaling the gas for 20 minutes cause poisoning?" and "Can the gas enter a sealed room?" after he committed the act that night.

Based on the evidence, prosecutors filed the charge against Liu for attempted intentional homicide in May 2025. Given Liu claimed he had pressed the pressure regulator valve when leaving Li's house to stop the gas flow, investigators conducted an experiment at a residence to verify Liu's assertion, but the test demonstrated that his alleged "shut off action" had no effect on halting the gas release.

Considering both the severe health hazard posed by the gas exposure and the extensive preparations Liu undertook for this act, the local court ruled on Jan 9 that although no one was harmed in the case, Liu's behavior constituted attempted intentional homicide and sentenced him to four years in prison.