China: Serial killer Zhang Yongming given death sentence for killing 11 people

A Chinese serial killer dubbed the "cannibal monster" has been sentenced to death for the second time, state media reported today.

Earlier today, Zhang Yongming was convicted of strangling to death 11 people between 2008 and 2012 in the southwestern province of Yunnan, CRI English reported.

The victims were boys and young men, according to previous media reports.

Zhang, aged in his mid-50s, chopped up their bodies and sold the flesh to unsuspecting consumers.

The court in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, also heard that Zhang burned some of the bodies to destroy evidence, the Associated Press reported.

Zhang was known as the “cannibal monster” in his village. Neighbors reported seeing green plastic bags hanging from his home, which appeared to contain white bones. 

In 1979, Zhang was sentenced to death for another murder, but he was eventually released after his sentence was reduced, the AP said.

The official Xinhua news agency previously reported that 12 police officers had been sacked or disciplined after they initially ignored missing person reports.

According to CRI English, Zhang showed no remorse for his shocking crimes and refused to apologize to the relatives of the victims.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, China executes more people every year than the rest of the world combined, although it has cut down the number of crimes facing the death penalty.

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