Confusion persists as trial continues in rape-murder case

The trial of Wang Shujin, a man from north China's Hebei Province who previously confessed to a crime for which another man had already been executed, re-opened on Wednesday after a two-week adjournment.

The trial ended at 12:30 p.m. on the same day. A verdict has yet to be announced.

Nie Shubin was executed in 1995 at the age of 21 for the 1994 rape and murder of a woman in the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang. After Wang was apprehended by police in 2005 over three separate rape and murder charges, he confessed to having raped and murdered the woman in Shijiazhuang.

The case has attracted extensive public attention following several wrongful conviction cases in recent months. Some even believe that Nie himself was a victim of wrongful conviction.

On Wednesday morning, the prosecutor and defense attorney at the Handan Intermediate People's Court debated whether Wang is, in fact, the perpetrator in the 1994 case.

Wang confessed to the crime in court as he did during a second trial held on June 25. He said he had pushed the woman off a bicycle, raped her and stomped her in the chest until she died. He said he then took the woman's dress as a gift for his wife and left her lying naked in a cornfield.

"I hope I can clarify some facts, but I know it's impossible to verify them (after 19 years)," said Wang.

However, the prosecutor said the woman was found in a white undershirt and nylon socks, with a colored shirt wrapped around her neck. She had no bone fractures and died of suffocation.

The two sides also disagreed on the time that the crime was committed and the height of the victim.

The prosecutor showed four forms of evidence, including an autopsy report, a crime scene investigation report, a witness and Wang's testimony, during the proceedings.

Wang's attorney Zhu Aimin said the prosecutor could not demand precise accuracy in all the details 19 years after the murder happened, as memories fade as time goes by.

Wang's description of the scene highly coincides with the crime scene investigation report, Zhu said.