Jia Jinglong, a 28-year-old villager, fatally shot the village chief, He Jianhua, on the Chinese New Year’s Day. The murder followed a long-standing land dispute caused by demolition.
On May 7, 2013, the village committee forcibly demolished Jia’s newly decorated house, just 18 days before his wedding, causing its cancellation and his fiancée to leave him.
Jia failed to stop the demolition. All his petitions and complaints were rejected or failed. After exhausting all available complaining approaches, Jia decided to kill the village chief responsible for the demolition.
Jia was sentenced to death on November 14, 2015, and the verdict was upheld on appeal. His case sparked national debate, with thousands petitioning for clemency. Legal scholars publicly critised the ruling and the rapid proceedings that affected his rights for defence and appeal, requesting for leniency. Ultimately, the Supreme People’s Court upheld the sentence on November 15, 2016, and he was executed shortly.
At the time, forced demolitions were common across China, and similar cases before and after Jia’s saw death sentences for killings in similar eviction situations. His case became a symbol of demolition conflicts, with some arguing it was an extreme response to an illegal act, while the court upheld the ruling due to the severity of the crime.