A man has been executed in Shanghai after being convicted of murdering his wife and hiding her body in a freezer in their home for three months. During this time, he assumed her identity on social media and in text messages with her family.
In 2016, Zhu Xiaodong strangled his wife, Yang Piping to death over a trivial domestic argument. He then proceeded to wrap Yang’s body up in a quilt and hid it his freezer.
During this time, Zhu assumed his wife’s identity on WeChat, replying to text messages from her friends and parents who all apparently didn’t suspect a thing. He even used money from Yang’s bank accounts to take vacations, including one to South Korea, and to date other women.
Finally, on February 1st, 2017, Zhu was forced to turn himself in, knowing that he could no longer keep the charade going after Yang’s father had asked the couple over for a birthday dinner that night.
In August 2018, Zhu was given the death penalty for his crimes by the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. Prosecutors stated that the death penalty was the only appropriate punishment, noting that Zhu had bought crime books as well as the freezer before murdering his wife.