A court in Hebei province announced that a man convicted of murder was executed on Tuesday morning, despite his case sparking controversy.
Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court posted a statement on its micro blog announcing that it had implemented the order handed down by the Supreme People's Court to execute Jia Jinglong.
The convict was allowed to meet his family members before the execution, according to the statement.
It said that Jia, 30, a villager in Shijiazhuang, was sentenced to death on Nov 24 last year for homicide, and that the sentence was upheld by the Hebei High People's Court on May 17 and submitted to the top court for review.
The top court found that Jia had a dispute with He Jianhua, the village chief, after the former's house was demolished as part of a reconstruction project in 2013, adding that Jia had held a grudge and sought revenge.
The convict bought three nail guns and one imitation gun. On Feb 19 last year, the first day of Spring Festival holiday, he took them to a village party and shot He with a nail gun in an act of revenge, the top court said.
Jia then fled in a car he had parked near the location earlier that day, it added.
"Jia committed homicide. The murder was cruel and had a negative impact on the local community," the top court said. It added that after reviewing the case, it approved Jia's execution as the lower courts had provided clear and sufficient evidence to justify such punishment.
The case received wide public attention and commentary by legal experts after Jia's sister requested a halt to his execution.
Some legal professionals said Jia deserved a more lenient punishment as the village had also committed wrongdoings in demolishing his house.
In response, an official from the top court's No 3 Criminal Tribunal said that Jia's execution was justifiable.
"He spent two years preparing the murder, including planning where, when and how to murder the village chief, as well as using a gun, which is illegal in China. Murdering someone is a ruthless act," said the official who did not give his name."
After he shot the village chief, other villagers attempted to apprehend him, but he escaped by driving toward people in his car and threatening to shoot them," he said.
In addition, he committed the crime during Spring Festival, China's most important holiday for family reunion, "which showed his deliberate malice".
As for the demolition, the official explained that the village's reconstruction project had been approved by the Shijiazhuang government at the time and Jia's other family members had agreed to move out of their house.
"Although the village committee behaved improperly during the demolition process, it was not a decision made solely by He. It does not excuse Jia's actions and does not mean he deserved a more lenient punishment for murdering the village chief," he added.
