Wen Qingyun's Death Penalty, Maintaining the Original Death Sentence | Rejecting Appeal | Wen Qing
According to the Guangdong Provincial High People's Court on the 28th, Wen Qingyun's second trial verdict on the case of endangering public safety by dangerous methods was announced, and the appeal was rejected, upholding the original death penalty verdict.
The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court ruled in the first instance that on January 11, 2023, at around 17:00, Wen Qingyun intentionally drove into pedestrians and road facilities in Tianhe District, Guangzhou to vent his personal emotions, causing serious consequences such as multiple injuries and property damage. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced Wen Qingyun to death and deprived him of political rights for life in accordance with the law.
After the verdict was pronounced, Wen Qingyun appealed.
The facts determined by the Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court after trial are consistent with those in the first instance. The court believes that Wen Qingyun's criminal methods are extremely cruel, with extremely serious consequences, subjective malice, and great social harm, and should be severely punished according to law. The original judgment confirms the facts clearly, the evidence is true and sufficient, the conviction is accurate, the sentencing is appropriate, and the trial procedure is legal. After evaluation by the Economic and Social Council and discussion by the Trial Committee, the appeal was rejected and the original verdict was upheld. The death penalty ruling against Wen Qingyun shall be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval in accordance with the law.
According to a previous report from the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, at 17:25 on January 11th, a traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Tianhe Road and Sports East in Guangzhou, causing 5 deaths and 13 injuries. The driver involved, Wen, was under police control.
According to media reports, multiple on-site videos show that many people were injured and fell to the ground on the road. The man who caused the accident was throwing money after parking and attempting to escape, which has attracted widespread attention from the outside world.
In March 2023, the Guangzhou Procuratorate prosecuted Wen Qingyun on charges of endangering public safety by dangerous methods. On April 18th, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court conducted a public trial of the defendant Wen Qingyun's case of endangering public safety through dangerous methods in accordance with the law, and announced the verdict on the same day.
The first instance verdict revealed that the incident resulted in a total of 6 deaths, of which 5 died on the spot and 1 person died on January 19th after unsuccessful rescue efforts; In addition, more than 20 people were injured to varying degrees, of which 10 were classified as level one minor injuries, 2 were classified as level two minor injuries, 13 were classified as minor injuries, 3 were not classified as minor injuries, and 1 person's body surface showed no obvious mechanical violence injuries.
The verdict also shows that on the day of the incident, Wen Qingyun underwent alcohol and urine tests, and the results showed that his alcohol content was 0 milligrams per 100 milliliters, and no common drug ingredients were detected. Subsequently, the inspection report issued by the Judicial Appraisal Center of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau also showed that Wen Qingyun's blood did not contain any ethanol components, and no common drug components were detected in his blood and urine. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court summarized Wen Qingyun's motive for committing the crime as "to vent personal emotions.".
In the first instance, Wen Qingyun's defense counsel argued that he was mentally abnormal and needed to undergo a judicial psychiatric assessment. He also submitted a copy of the relevant materials from Wen Qingyun's mother's visit to the Shantou University Mental Health Center for mental health assessment after the incident, while the prosecutor believed that Wen Qingyun did not need to undergo a judicial psychiatric assessment.
It is reported that Wen Qingyun grew up in Dongguan since childhood. Before the incident, his parents ran a store in Dongguan. A relative of Wen Qingyun testified that due to his father's preference for Wen Qingyun, he did not have to worry about food and clothing, could not afford hardship, and was somewhat arrogant.
According to a report from Pengpai News, during the first instance trial, Wen Qingyun said that while waiting at the traffic lights, he suddenly had the idea of hitting people when he saw people coming and going on the crosswalk. Moreover, he only intends to collide with people and electric vehicles, and does not want to collide with other vehicles, because if he collides with other vehicles, his own car may also be damaged and unable to leave. Throughout the trial, Wen Qingyun spoke very little and did not apologize to the victims and their families, nor did he say he would bear compensation. He only said "guilty".
