Death sentences have been upheld for two gang members at Baoding Municipal Intermediate People's Court in North China's Hebei Province.

Wang Bing, a gang leader in Lixian County in Baoding, was sentenced to death for murder and blowing up a police chief's house. And Zhang Yanqing, a gang member, was sentenced to death for murder and breaking into civilians' houses on June 1, 2004.

Liu Fuzhou, another gang member, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Seven others were sentenced to three to 18 years in prison

After announcement of the sentences, they appealed to Hebei Provincial Higher People's Court on June 16 in 2005, asked the local court to retry the lawsuit. The court retried the case and upheld the sentences on Feb. 18.

According to the court investigation, Wang asked Liu and Zhang to kill his business rival. With the help of Liu, Zhang shot the victim, leaving him seriously wounded on Feb. 10, 1998. Wang also asked other gang members to shoot three other people, causing two seriously injured and one slightly injured.

Wang still caused an explosion at the house of the county's head of police on May 31, 1999, which caused great damages to the properties of the victim and his neighbors.

Source: Xinhua