Did China's one-child policy motivate 'secret son' to kill his father and sister?
Forced to live a lie under one-child policy, youth used hitmen to kill his father, sister
The mainland's one-child policy may have played a key role in a tragedy involving a Henan teenager who allegedly hired hitmen to help him kill his father and sister on Sunday.
Gao Tianfeng, a 49-year-old member of the judicial committee of the Intermediate People's Court of Zhoukou city, and his 28-year-old daughter were killed inside their home in the city. Police identified 18-year-old Gao Weisheng and two hitmen as the suspects and they were detained.
Media reported earlier this week that the high school pupil conspired to kill his father and sister because "they had put too much pressure on him to study", but further investigation by local police showed the motive was much more complex, The Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
The report said Gao Tianfeng and his wife were both high-ranking party cadres in Zhoukou and had their first child in 1985. Cadres and government officials may be expelled from the Communist Party and removed from their positions if they violate the one-child policy by having multiple children.
So the couple were taking a big risk when they had their son in 1995. It was a secret the family kept for 18 years.
As a result, the youth grew up in several cities and moved often. He was sent to study at a high school in Luohe city three years ago, about 70 kilometres away from his family in Zhoukou.