Death sentence over arson that killed 11

A man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack on his girlfriend's family's home in southeast China that killed 11 people earlier this year.

The Intermediate People's Court of Nanping, in Fujian province, convicted Liu Quanshun, 46, of arson and ordered him to pay more than 4 million yuan (629,921 U.S. dollars) in compensation, court officials said on Monday.

According to court findings, Liu met his girlfriend surnamed Li, married to another man, in a casino in Nanping in 2009. The two moved in together before leaving two years later to work in a hotel in neighboring Putian city. But when Li's father and husband found out and went to confront the couple, she claimed that she was raped by Liu and reported the case to the police.

Liu, after being summoned for a one-day interrogation, attempted to blackmail Li's family. With his demand not met, he poured fuel on the Li family's brick-and-wood house at midnight on Jan. 15, 2012 and set a fire. Li's parents and 10 of the family's neighbors died in the ensuing blaze. Liu fled the scene but was arrested within hours, according to court officials.