Chinese man arrested after 32 years for killing mother, girlfriend
What's the story
A man in China, identified only by his surname, Li, has been arrested after evading capture for 32 years. Li had used a kitchen knife to stab his mother and girlfriend to death at their home in a village in Weiyuan County in southwestern China's Sichuan Province on July 22, 1992. His girlfriend was just 17 at the time.
Case development
Li's sister-in-law's disappearance
Li managed to stay under the radar of authorities for decades, largely due to technological limitations and a lack of leads. However, last year, investigators revisited the case and found new information. They discovered that Li's sister-in-law, surnamed Gu, had disappeared two months after the murders. Her disappearance went unreported because she had a troubled marriage with Li's elder brother.
New leads
Investigators' efforts to trace Gu
Rumors in the village hinted at an earlier affair between Gu and Li, which piqued police interest. Officers learned that in 2013, Gu visited her family and mentioned having a son and a daughter but did not disclose her whereabouts. Investigators traced her to Jiangmen, Guangdong, through an old mobile number. A CCTV image confirmed her identity when she was seen in a cycle rickshaw.
Arrest and confession
How authorities finally caught Li
Authorities tracked Li to a village where he had lived for 30 years with Gu, raising two children. An undercover officer collected a cigarette butt from Li at his construction site, which was confirmed through DNA analysis. During questioning, Li confessed to the murders. He said his girlfriend asked his mother for a large sum of money and threatened to leave him. He accidentally killed his mother while trying to stab his girlfriend.
Final confession
'I was exhausted while on the run'
Li expressed relief upon his arrest, saying, "Life has been difficult for me over the years. You finally came. I am relieved to leave this life behind." He added, "I was exhausted while on the run. I lost track of how many years had passed and even forgot my ID number and my original name." Li has been charged with intentional homicide. It remains unclear whether Gu will face any consequences, SCMP reported.