Schoolboy hires hit men to kill father, sister over strict discipline regime

A former court president and his daughter were allegedly killed Sunday by two men hired by the man's son, apparently in retaliation for the strict discipline regime the pair imposed on the boy.

Gao Tianfeng, 49, former president of Luyi county court, Henan Province, and his daughter in her 20s, were killed at home in the Ronghua residential community in Zhoukou, Henan, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the surveillance video, two young men wearing baseball caps jumped over the fence at 2:16 am Sunday. The suspects later fled the scene.

Neighbors heard suspicious noises, and called police.

Police have arrested two suspects, one of whom is Gao's son, a student at a senior high school in Luohe. The third suspect is still at large.

The preliminary investigation showed that Gao's daughter accompanied his son to study in Luohe. She apparently strictly disciplined the son, and he then hired the two men he found on the Internet to kill his father and sister.

Wan Daqiang, a lawyer from Beijing Shangquan Law Firm who specializes in child-related cases, said that attention should be paid to the online environment, since the case involved two alleged killers who were hired online.

"Ninety percent of the cases that I've handled are Internet-related. Suspects often mimic what they saw online, or they find someone to do illegal things via the Internet," he said.

According to Wan, the son might be facing over 15 years' imprisonment if he is under age.

"But he won't be sentenced to death if he is above 18. Usually, the court will give him a lighter sentence because he's a student," said Wan.

Xiong Hanzhong, director of Beijing Youth Stress Management Service Center, said that parent-child conflicts are common, but this time it went too far.

"Usually, parents use love as the excuse, without realizing what they think is good for their children might not please the young ones. Parents should respect and understand the real needs of their children, instead of being commanding," he said.

Xiong pointed out that there might be some psychological problems with the young suspect. "But children are a disadvantaged group in our society after all. His parents are surely to blame for their family environment," he noted.