A Chinese college student alleged to have stabbed his roommate to death and beheaded him in March may be able to plead diminished responsibility at trial after a medical assessment found him to be depressed, local police said on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified by his surname Teng, was a freshman at Sichuan Normal University in southwest China. He has been in police custody since his roommate's murder on March 27.
According to a medical evaluation entrusted by police of Longquanyi District under Chengdu City, Teng was found to "have a depression disorder and diminished responsibility" for the crime he allegedly committed.h Under Chinese law, people with diminished responsibility can be given a lighter punishment.
Chen Fengfeng, attorney for the victim's family, said they will appeal the medical evaluation
"We have doubts about the material on which the evaluation was based," Chen said.
