Peking University student Wu Xieyu tells murder trial he killed his mother out of compassion not conflict
- Wu was a model student before his mother’s body was found wrapped in plastic and he was arrested with dozens of fake ID cards
- Prosecutors have asked for a lighter sentence because the accused man cooperated with police and admitted every detail
A former Peking University student accused of murdering his mother confessed to the killing but told the court the act was out of compassion rather than conflict.
Wu Xieyu, 25, is standing trial at the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Fujian, for murder, swindling and buying identity cards. A verdict has not been passed.
On Thursday, Wu denied he was in conflict with his mother, Xie Tianqin, a middle school teacher. Instead, he said he thought she was one of the best people in the world, news portal Thepaper reports.
Wu – described by his classmates and neighbours as a “perfect student” with pre-eminent academic performances from childhood – said his intention to kill his mother was not related to her tough disciplining.
Wu told the court he decided to kill his mother after finding she had become “pessimistic” and was in pain after the death of his father 10 years ago, according to the news report.
He said he was wise enough to guess what others were thinking and he believed Xie had wanted to die. Invoking a reference from a novel he said if you loved a person deeply, you would do what she dared not to. Wu thought he should help Xie by killing her.
