Lawyer of Chinese woman accused of being a serial killer deserves respect, not accusations of immorality

The gruesome details of Lao Rongzhi’s case have captivated many in China, and lawyer Wu Danhong’s decision to defend her has only added to the controversy
Wu and his team deserve credit for taking on the case and defending the rule of law, but instead they have received condemnation and harassment

Lijia Zhang

Published: 10:00pm, 21 Feb 2023

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Like millions of Chinese, I have become obsessed with the case of Lao Rongzhi, who has been called China’s most notorious female killer. Together with Fa Ziying, a gangster, she was accused of kidnapping, robbery and murder in the late 1990s. The duo were allegedly behind the death of seven people, including a three-year-old girl.

Fa was arrested and executed in 1999 while Lao fled and lived under fake identities for 20 years before being caught. In 2021, she received a death sentence from the Nanchang Intermediate Court in Jiangxi province. She appealed the verdict, but a high court upheld the original sentence last November. Now her case is being reviewed by the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing.

The case has shocked and fascinated the nation. Social media has latched onto its gruesome details as well as the twists and turns of Lao’s defence team. Wu Danhong, a renowned lawyer based in Beijing and an expert on criminal evidence, decided to defend Lao in the final stage of the trial.

The latest development was the appearance of a new witness in mid-February, thanks to the efforts of Wu and his team. This unidentified witness said he had rushed from Hunan to Jiangxi during the second trial, intending to be a witness, but Jiangxi policemen detained him and prevented him from appearing in court.

Fa Ziying (centre) was executed in December 1999. Photo: Weibo

This witness, who ran an open-air restaurant in Shenzhen, said he saw gangster friends of Fa brutally control young women. He thus found it easy to believe that Lao had also been controlled by Fa. Wu’s central argument is that Lao is a victim herself as she was manipulated and used by Fa, and that she had never intentionally killed anyone.

Ever since Wu became Lao’s lawyer at the request of her brother, online trolls have launched a campaign against Wu, accusing him of being immoral. Some people have asked how a decent lawyer could defend such a terrible person. They refer to Lao as numotou, or the “devil queen”. Some tried to get Wu kicked out of the Chinese Lawyers’ Association. Even his son has been harassed.

Wu, who has a postdoctoral degree from the prestigious Peking University, argues that Lao’s death sentence was based on false confessions and was therefore a miscarriage of justice. He is trying to defend the dignity of law and promote the rule of law in China.

I salute Wu’s courage in taking on such a controversial case. No matter what crimes Lao might have committed, she has the right to access to a lawyer, to be defended vigorously and to a fair trial. Attacking her lawyer undermines that right.

Everywhere in the world, a lawyer defending an unpopular defendant can be subject to attacks. China is no exception. What makes matters worse here is that many people have a weak concept of rights, and furthermore they are not very familiar with legal proceedings.

Lao Rongzhi’s death sentence is under review at the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing. Photo: Handout

In ancient China, the law was differentiated. Those from the lower social ranks were subject to xing, or criminal punishment, while the gentry was covered by li, or gentle measures. Modern law is non-discriminatory and treats everyone equally. Everyone – whether they are a victim, witness or defendant – deserves justice.

Defence lawyers are of critical importance as they ensure people are not punished for the crimes they did not commit. In China, they play an especially significant role as they also safeguard against potential prosecutorial abuse.

Ever since the country entered the era of “reform and opening up”, it has made great strides in developing its legal framework. The authorities realised that they couldn’t effectively govern a market-oriented economy without a credible legal system. Unfortunately, this system still frequently relies on perfunctory court proceedings instead of solid evidence. The rules are not always complied with, and judicial independence can be undermined when the Communist Party decides to intervene.

Woman ‘serial killer’ stands trial in China after 20 years on the run

In his long defence paper, Wu pointed out numerous mistakes and irregularities. For example, during the first trial, a lawyer appointed to defend Lao through legal aid was denied the chance even to see her. At one point, Lao was subjected to interrogation for just under 24 hours. That is a form of torture, which is forbidden by Chinese law. Moreover, Wu says, her confessions included words that were put into her mouth.

From reading this defence paper, I was struck by how the prosecutors and courts handed over to the public what should have been handled within the legal framework. Before the verdict of the first trial went into effect, the Nanchang Procuratorate had already published key information about the case on the official website of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. It described Lao as “responsible for seven lives”, which Wu said incited public hatred towards the defendant.

How public opinion affects sentencing is beyond the scope of this piece. The question here is if Lao’s death penalty is justified. Let the Supreme People’s Court determine this based on evidence presented by the procurators as well the evidence collected by the defence lawyers. We simply have to leave Wu and his team alone. They are just doing their job and deserve our respect.

Lijia Zhang is a rocket-factory worker turned social commentator, and the author of a novel, Lotus