On the afternoon of November 25, a reporter from Nandu learned from the family of the victim of the murder of a Chinese woman after giving birth in Thailand that at 10:30 that day, the Thai second-instance court ruled that the defendant Lu was guilty of intentional murder and corpse destruction, and sentenced him to death, and rejected the first-instance life imprisonment. The relatives and friends of the victim Xiaoli told Nandu reporters that they were pleased with the result of the judgment, but according to Thai law, the defendant still has the right to apply to the local Supreme Court for appeal.
Nandu previously reported that on January 10, 2020, 33-year-old Guangdong-born woman Xiaoli was killed and thrown away by her husband Lu on a beach in Chonburi Province, Thailand. The two had a child. On April 3 of the same year, the Thai prosecutor prosecuted Lu for murder and destruction of corpses.
This case was held in a transnational trial. On September 22 and 23, 2021, the case was held in Guangzhou. Several relatives and friends of Xiaoli appeared in court to testify. Xiaoli's mother expressed her grievances to file an incidental civil compensation lawsuit, hoping that the defendant would be sentenced to death. On November 8, 2021, the defendant Lu denied intentional homicide when he appeared in a statement in a Thai court, arguing that the purchase of tools before the incident was not used to commit the crime, and denied the allegations raised by the prosecutor and the plaintiff's lawyer.
On February 8 this year, the Chamburi Court of Thailand sentenced the defendant Lu to commit intentional murder and corpse destruction in the first instance. Because the defendant admitted some facts, the Thai court reduced his death penalty from life imprisonment. Xiaoli's family then unanimously requested to continue appealing.
After more than 9 months, the case ushered in a second-instance judgment. On the afternoon of November 25, Xiaoli's relatives and friends and acting assistant Zhang Hongyuan told Nandu reporters that at 10:30 am that day, the second-instance court pronounced a verdict, ruling the defendant, Lu, a Taiwanese, to death, and rejecting the reason the first-instance court gave Lu a commutation to life imprisonment. Xiaoli's relatives and friends told reporters in Nandu that they were pleased with the result of the judgment. At the same time, according to Thai law, the defendant has the right to continue to apply for appeal to the Supreme Court of Thailand. Zhang Hongyuan said that if the defendant appeals, the subsequent legal process is expected to take more than a year.
Zhang Hongyuan told reporters in Nandu that the trial process of the case encountered severe local epidemic tests, and the victim's family and domestic witnesses were unable to come to Thailand to testify. With the cooperation of attorneys, prosecutors and first-instance judges, they conducted a cross-border online trial of criminal cases in China and Thailand, reducing the financial burden and hardship of the victim's family. This method of cloud trial was later widely promoted and used by the Thai judicial community.
Interview and writing: Nandu reporter Huang Chibo
