MA’ANSHAN, China – Two kung fu coaches in China were sentenced to death on Monday for a poisoning incident that resulted in the deaths of seven children in 1997.
The men, Fu Zejie and Zhu Zulin, were found guilty of planting rat poison in the food at a martial arts school in Anhui Province, after a business conflict with the school’s boss. The two evaded prosecution for nearly 26 years before their arrest last year.
According to the court, the conflict began in 1994 when Zhu and another man had a dispute while running competing martial arts schools. The tension escalated when Fu took up a job coaching at the other man’s facility and became dissatisfied due to trivial matters.
In retaliation for their grudges, the two men conspired to poison the food at the school. More than 130 people at the school experienced vomiting and convulsions after eating breakfast the next morning, and seven students ultimately lost their lives to the poison.
The suspects, Fu and Zhu, were identified by authorities at the time of the incident but managed to evade arrest until May 2023. Fu was apprehended in Fujian Province, while Zhu was caught in Guizhou Province.
The Intermediate People’s Court in Ma’anshan sentenced both men to death for the crime of poisoning. This case serves as a reminder that justice may be delayed, but it will ultimately prevail.