A Chinese woman who spent 26 years on the run after her former husband was found dead with 16 stab wounds is facing a possible life sentence, as prosecutors challenge her original 12-year prison term.
Gong Mouzhen’s appeal hearing was held at the Chibi People’s Court in Hubei province on October 14, nearly a year after she was sentenced for intentional homicide. The court did not deliver a verdict on the day, according to The Paper, which cited the defendant’s family.
During the appeal hearing, prosecutors presented evidence alleging that Gong had given false statements and deliberately fed her former husband, identified as Zhu, the highly toxic rodenticide tetramine, commonly known as tetramine rat poison. They argued that the crime was exceptionally cruel and recommended that she be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Gong maintained that she acted in self-defence. According to accounts from people who attended the hearing, she said Zhu had grabbed her by the neck and made it difficult for her to breathe, prompting her to slash him with a knife.
She claimed she struck him two or three times before he got out of bed to escape and attacked her with a chair, after which she continued stabbing him.
The case dates back to 1998, when Zhu was found dead inside a rented property in Chibi, Hubei province, with 16 stab wounds. Gong disappeared after the incident and became a key suspect in the investigation.
A bloodstained handwritten note was found at the scene, reading: “My love, I truly love you. Goodbye forever.”
In a confession letter she later sent to police, Gong alleged that Zhu had torn at her clothes, insulted and beaten her that night before choking her. She said she grabbed a knife and attacked him while trying to defend herself.
Gong was eventually arrested in August 2024 in Luoyuan county, Fujian province, where she had reportedly lived for more than 20 years. During that time, she worked for over a decade as an accountant and women’s affairs director at a village committee and had two children with another man.
In May 2025, prosecutors in Xianning formally charged Gong with intentional homicide. Her first trial took place in July that year at the Chibi court.
The court ruled that her actions did not meet the legal requirements for self-defence, finding that she could have called for help when Zhu allegedly choked her. It also found that she had refused his requests for assistance and failed to seek medical help after stabbing him.
Judges concluded that Gong knew her actions could cause death but deliberately failed to intervene, amounting to indirect intent to kill. The court said there was insufficient evidence to establish that Zhu had died from deliberately ingesting poison himself.
However, the court acknowledged that Zhu had contributed to the escalation of the conflict and that toxic poisoning was also a factor in his death. These circumstances were considered in mitigation.
Gong was sentenced to 12 years in prison, deprived of political rights for five years and ordered to pay 44,932 yuan in compensation to Zhu’s daughter, identified as Xiao Zhu. Her family appealed the ruling.
At the latest hearing, prosecutors questioned inconsistencies in Gong’s statements, including where the killing occurred, why she fled after the incident and whether Zhu had taken the poison himself or had been given it by Gong.
They also presented photographs and forensic evidence to challenge her account. Prosecutors said a cup containing white tetramine powder had no bloodstains, suggesting that Gong may have administered the poison. They further argued that bloodstains on Zhu’s handwritten note did not match the shape of his palm, that photographs showed no clear knife damage to the chair he allegedly used to attack Gong, and that only one bloodstained strip of cloth was found at the scene, casting doubt on her claim that Zhu had bandaged his own wounds.
Gong’s defence lawyer, Lei Gang, argued that witness testimony showed she had endured prolonged domestic violence, threats and harassment. He maintained that she had been forced to defend herself and that the poison played a significant role in Zhu’s death, calling for her acquittal.
Forensic toxicology and trace-evidence expert Chu Jianxin, appearing as an expert assistant for the prosecution, said tetramine had been detected in Zhu’s stomach. However, he noted that Zhu had also suffered fatal haemorrhagic shock, meaning the two potential causes of death competed with each other.
Defence expert Zhou Yiwu, deputy head of the forensic medicine department at Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, argued that poisoning was the more likely cause of death.
Zhou cited signs he said were consistent with tetramine poisoning, including evidence of convulsions, bloodstains at several locations on the bed, an unusual face-down body position, a tightly clenched left hand and abrasions around the nose. He also argued that Zhu’s head injuries had not damaged major blood vessels or vital organs and would not have caused rapid death.
Gong’s younger brother maintained that his sister had acted in self-defence after years of domestic abuse and argued that Zhu had consumed the poison himself rather than dying solely from his injuries.
In her final statement, Gong admitted she had done wrong and apologised to Zhu’s daughter. She said she hoped the daughter could let go of her hatred and that she was willing to accept the punishment imposed by the law.
However, Zhu’s daughter and other relatives have called for a harsher sentence, alleging that marital infidelity had contributed to Zhu’s emotional instability. They also argued that Gong’s 26 years on the run showed a lack of remorse and urged the court to impose a severe punishment.
The appeal hearing concluded at around 4.30pm on October 14. The court is expected to announce its verdict at a later date.
