Should Zhang Xuping Be Given Leniency for Killing Li Shiming?
Should teenager Zhang Xuping be given leniency for the September 2008 killing of local Communist official Li Shiming? In China, Zhang Xuping was recently sentenced to death for the killing of Li Shiming, according to an article appearing at The Washington Post Wednesday. Despite this, Zhang Xuping has the support of more than 20,000 people from his area around the town of Xiashuixi, who petitioned the court for mercy because Li Shiming allegedly made life a living hell for people he had authority over. Why did the court sentence this young man to death? Did taking money for the killing hurt the teen’s chances for mercy? The Zhang Xuping Killing of Li Shiming: Living Under the Tyranny of Totalitarianism According to Gillian Wong’s article, the killer was paid the equivalent of $146 US dollars (1000 yuan) for the killing from a farmer who felt victimized by the Communist Party official because that farmer stood up to Li Shiming. Zhang Xuping stabbed Li Shiming through the heart. This mak
