As of February 19, 2021, the real culprit in Zhang Zhichao's case has not been identified, but only declared Zhang Zhichao acquitted.
Shandong Province Higher People's Court in Zibo City, Shandong Province, Intermediate People's Court of the original defendant Zhang Zhichao rape, Wang Guangchao harboring retrial, revoke the Intermediate People's Court of Linyi City, Shandong Province, (2006) Lin criminal a first word No. 14 criminal incidental civil verdict, acquitted Zhang Zhichao, Wang Guangchao. The defendants in the original incidental civil litigation, Zhang Huaijiang, Ma Yuping does not bear civil liability.
Shandong Province Higher People's Court re-examined that on January 10, 2005, 6:00, the victim GaoMou and classmate WangMouMou left from GaoMou's home. 6:15 or so, the two entered Linshu County, Linshu County, the second high school new school breakup, GaoMou disappeared. At 14:04 on February 11 of the same year, Linshu County Public Security Bureau received a report from Linshu County No. 2 Middle School teacher Yu Moumou that the body of Gao Mou was found in the third floor of the main teaching building, west of a defunct toilet.
After identification, Gao was killed by mechanical asphyxiation caused by the violence of others on his neck. Shandong Higher People's Court retrial, Linyi City Intermediate People's Court original judgment to determine the facts of the crime Zhang Zhichao, Wang Guangchao, the main basis for the two trial defendants guilty confession, as well as guilty confessions and other evidence of corroboration.
But in this case, there is no objective evidence pointing to Zhang Zhichao, Zhang Zhichao's confession and witness testimony contradictory. After the verdict was pronounced, Zhang Zhichao was released in court. The presiding judge told Zhang Zhichao and Wang Guangchao that they could apply for state compensation from the trial court that made the effective ruling.
Extended information:
Zhang Zhichao is a native of Linshu County, Linyi City. After testimony from some of the school's students, Linshu police determined that Zhang Zhichao, then 16 years old, was suspected of committing the crime. Zhang Zhichao was taken away by the Linshu police for investigation and was subsequently detained and arrested.
In March 2006, Zhang Zhichao was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Linyi Intermediate People's Court. His classmate Wang Guangchao was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and three years' probation for "false testimony and harboring". Wang Guangchao was also acquitted. Zhang Zhichao did not appeal the first-instance verdict. It was not until five years later, in 2011, that he asked his mother, Ma Yuping, to hire a lawyer to file a complaint during a meeting with her.
On March 19, 2012, the Linyi Intermediate Court dismissed the complaint, and on Nov. 12, 2012, the Shandong Higher Court dismissed it again on the grounds that there was "no evidence to confirm that the incriminating statements made by the complainant Zhang Zhichao in the public security organs were obtained by torture."
On Nov. 16, 2017, the Supreme People's Court ruled against Zhang Zhichao in his case. The Supreme People's Court issued a retrial decision on Zhang Zhichao's case, finding that the facts of the case were unclear and that there were contradictions between the main pieces of evidence, and directing the Shandong Higher People's Court to conduct a retrial of the case.
The case was then adjourned six times and opened on Dec. 5, 2019, at the Zibo Intermediate Court, where the prosecutor who appeared in court recommended that Zhang Zhichao and Wang Guangchao be acquitted instead.
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