Speaking of this matter, we have to start with the old case in 1996. The Zhang family and the Wang family are neighbors in Wangping Village, Xinji Town, Nanzheng District, Hanzhong District, Shaanxi Province. The two families have always had festivals, and the grievances are not something that happens in a day or two. On August 27, 1996, things got serious.
Zhang Koukou's mother, Wang Xiuping, and the Wang family's second son, Wang Fujun, started to argue. Wang Fujun said that Wang Xiuping spat at him when she passed by his door and hit her in the face. He slapped her in anger. As a result, family members from both sides were involved. Wang Zhengjun, the third son of the Wang family, who was 17 years old at the time, picked up a wooden stick and hit Wang Xiuping on the head.
This stick directly killed her, and she was unable to be rescued in the hospital that night. Zhang Koukou was only 13 years old at the time and witnessed the entire process of his mother's accident. Later, the court verdict also mentioned that he and his sister were present to witness the forensic autopsy.
The courts soon became involved. On December 5, 1996, the Nanzheng County Court convicted Wang Zhengjun of intentional injury causing death and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Why so light? Because Wang Zhengjun was not yet 18 years old and had confessed, and the court found that Wang Xiuping was also at fault in the dispute, he was given a lighter sentence.
The Wang family also had to compensate the Zhang family 9,639.3 yuan. This amount included 8,139.3 yuan for funeral expenses. After deduction, the Zhang family actually received 1,500 yuan. Zhang Furu, Zhang Koukou's father, was an incidental civil plaintiff at the time. He did not appeal again, and the procuratorate did not protest. The verdict was finalized. Wang Zhengjun was released from prison early after three years in prison.
The Zhang family has been unable to swallow this breath. They feel that it was actually Wang Fujun who actually beat Wang Xiuping to death, and Wang Zhengjun was the one who took the blame. The eldest son of the Wang family, Wang Xiaojun, had just started working in the Party and Government Office of the township government at that time. In 1998, he was promoted to deputy township head. The Zhang family suspected that he used his connections to influence the outcome of the verdict and let his younger brother bear less responsibility.
Of course Wang Fujun denied it, saying that it was Wang Zhengjun who did it. But no matter what, this incident buried deep-rooted hatred in Zhang Koukou's heart.
Zhang Koukou's life trajectory when he grew up was quite ordinary. In 2001, when he was 18 years old, he was drafted into the Xinjiang Armed Police Force. He served as a soldier for two years and was demobilized and returned home in 2003. After that, like many young people in rural areas, they went out to work in Xi'an and other places, working as construction workers and factory workers. Their income was not high and their lives were tight.
He never got married and started a family, probably because the matter in his heart never got over. In December 2017, he came back from other places and lived back in his hometown in Wangping Village. The village has not changed much. The Wang family is living a good life. Wang Xiaojun has a car and Wang Zhengjun returns to the village occasionally.
After Zhang Koukou came back, he wandered around the village every day and inevitably ran into the Wang family, and his resentment became deeper and deeper. Finally before the Spring Festival of 2018, he made up his mind and found that Wang Zhengjun was also going home for the New Year, so he went to the town and bought a single-edged knife and a kitchen knife, ready to start.
February 15, 2018, happened to be the New Year’s Eve, and every household in Wangping Village was preparing to celebrate the festival. The Wang family went up the mountain to worship their ancestors that day, and then walked down the mountain to the village committee. Zhang Koukou, wearing a mask and hat and black clothes, followed Wang Zhengjun and stabbed Wang Zhengjun in the neck and abdomen with a knife. Wang Zhengjun fell to the ground on the spot.
Then he caught up with Wang Xiaojun and stabbed him in the chest and abdomen. Wang Xiaojun also died. Then he rushed into Wang's courtyard, found Wang Zixin, and stabbed him in the chest. Wang Zixin was 70 years old and did not escape. Three people died in this way. Zhang Koukou also used a kitchen knife to smash the window of Wang Xiaojun's car, threw two lit wine bottles in, and burned the car.
But Wang Zixin's wife Yang Guiying was in the room at the time. When she saw it, she screamed and retreated to the corner. Zhang Koukou glanced at her and left without making a move. Why just let her go? Zhang Koukou later confessed after surrendering that Yang Guiying had no direct relationship with the incident in 1996. She was not a party involved, had no grievances and should not be involved.
The Zhang family also believed that the men of the Wang family were the culprits, and Yang Guiying was just a bystander. This point became a special point in the whole case, which made people feel that Zhang Koukou had a bottom line when seeking revenge and did not kill everyone.
As soon as the case came out, the police immediately sealed off the village and issued a wanted warrant. Zhang Koukou did not run far. On February 17, the second day of the Lunar New Year, he went to the public security organ and surrendered. The Hanzhong City Procuratorate quickly launched a prosecution and filed a lawsuit on September 27, 2018. The court held two pre-trial meetings. The first time was on November 16. Zhang Koukou requested a live broadcast of the trial online, but was not granted permission.
He appealed, and the Shaanxi High Court upheld the original verdict in the second instance on April 11. The Supreme Court approved it on July 6, and the death penalty was executed on July 17. Zhang Koukou met Zhang Furu before his execution and said, "Dad, it's okay."
Zhang Furu is not idle here either. On March 30, 2018, he submitted a criminal complaint to the Nanzheng District Court, referring to an old case from 1996, saying that he would hold Wang Fujun accountable and apply for state compensation. However, the court verbally informed on July 31 that it would not file the case, and on October 19, the Hanzhong Intermediate Court also rejected the compensation application.
Zhang Furu has been petitioning for many years, but to no avail. Now he lives alone. His sister has gone away to a foreign country and will not come back. Only Zhang Koukou's old squad leader when he was a soldier comes to visit occasionally and bring some things. The Zhang family was completely broken up, and there were only a few members of the Wang family left. Wang Fujun was not at home and escaped the disaster.
This case caused quite a stir across the country, with many people discussing it online. Some people sympathized with Zhang Koukou, saying that he had endured it for 22 years to avenge his mother, but the court's sentence was too light, which led to the tragedy. But some people say that no matter what the reason, killing is wrong, and the law cannot condone personal hatred.
The case exposed the hidden dangers of neighbor disputes in rural areas. In places like Wangping Village, small matters such as homestead land and contract rights can easily escalate into major issues. Starting in 1996, it was just a quarrel that ended in life. Where did Zhang Koukou's hatred come from, and his family was not convinced by the verdict. What's the point of paying such a small amount of money?
Rural people value benefits, and if they don't have enough money, they feel like they're losing a lot. Wang Xiaojun's work background also makes people doubt the fairness of justice. Although he has just started working, people in the village always feel that there is something fishy. This incident reminds everyone that conflicts at the grassroots level must be resolved early, otherwise it will explode if it drags on for too long.
