Man Killed Wife, Hid Body, Used Her Card For Traveling With Mistress

A Chinese man was sentenced to death Friday for killing his wife and hiding her body in the freezer for over three months.

Zhu Xiaodong, 30, got into an argument with his wife, 30-year-old Yang Liping, at their home in October 2016, less than a year after they got married. In a fit of rage, the man strangled the woman to death before hiding her body in the freezer for 106 days. He surrendered himself to police in February 2017 after realizing that he could no longer hide the truth.

During the three months period, Xiaodong took his wife’s identity and replied to messages she received from her friends and family on her social media accounts. He also used her credit cards and spent over $21,000 on buying luxury goods and checking into hotels with another woman. Before leaving the country for a trip, he installed cameras to monitor the condition of the freezer on his phone.

Though the man claimed he committed the crime in a fit of rage, the victim’s parents believe it was pre-planned as he purchased the freezer a few days before the murder with the intention of storing the wife’s body. Xiaodong, however, claimed he ordered the freezer online in order to store meat for his pet animals.

Investigation revealed that Xiaodong had several affairs after his wedding and he had also told his mistress that he was divorced. Days before the murder, he purchased some “true crime” books and the way the woman was killed was similar to one of the instances in the books.

Post the verdict Friday, the victim’s family lawyer said they were satisfied with the verdict: "More than us, today the whole of society witnessed the fairness and justice. However, as a lawyer, I still felt some sadness that the lives of two young people and their families have been destroyed. There is a lot for the public to ponder about the case, and what we can do to prevent such a tragedy happening again. "