China puts five cult members on trial for McDonald's murder
Chinese cult members tell court they beat woman to death in McDonald's in self-defence because "she was a devil"
Five cult members Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong, Lyu Yingchun, Zhang Hang and Zhang Qiaolian stand trial on murder charges in Yantai Intermediate People's Court in Yantai City, east China's Shandong Province Photo: Xinhua/ Corbis
By Malcolm Moore, Beijing
4:06PM BST 21 Aug 2014
Five followers of a Chinese cult went on trial on Thursday charged with beating a woman to death in a branch of McDonald's after she refused to be recruited.
The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning, believes that Christ has returned in the shape of a middle-aged Chinese woman. The cult may have over a million members in China, according to the state media.
Zhang Lidong, reportedly a 54-year-old unemployed salesman, his 29-year-old and 18-year-old daughters, his 12-year-old son and two other women began speaking to 35-year-old woman, Wu Shuoyan in a branch of McDonald's in the city of Zhaoyuan in May.
Mr Zhang's 12-year-old son is too young to be criminally responsible and is not on trial.
When she refused to give them her phone number, they allegedly beat her to death with the metal handle of a mop. The attack was captured on smartphone videos which went viral at the time.
Ms Wu, the mother of a six-year-old boy, was waiting for her husband when the group approached. At 9.17pm she sent a message on her phone saying she had met "some crazy people". They began arguing a minute later.
In court, Mr Zhang, one of his daughters and another woman pleaded self-defence, according to the prosecution.
"I was angry today in court," said the prosecuting lawyer, who asked not to be named. "Three of them said they killed her in self-defence. They said the Church of Almighty God is a religion, not a cult, and that the victim was an evil spirit and needed to be beaten to death," he added.
The five cult members stand trial on murder charges in Yantai Intermediate People's Court in eastern China (Xinhua/ Corbis)
He added: "The victim's family is in great pain. Her husband has not been well since she was killed and her son is only six years old. Where is their humanity?"
Ms Wu's younger sister, husband and his uncle were in court. The uncle, Lu Xueyi, said the three had "defended themselves with all those crazy cult theories which are unbearable to hear".
"They were even smiling while defending themselves. The cannot feel any guilt at all." He added: "Her husband is still deep in grief. The trial has brought back a lot of memories."
Mr Zhang's lawyer, Liu Yanci, said he had not noticed his client smiling. He said the trial had focused on what had happened in McDonald's. "They built the picture from the beginning of how they hit her, what they beat her with, where they hit her and how she died," he said.
A lawyer for Zhang Hang, one of his daughters, argued that she should be given the lightest sentence because she was merely a bystander.
"She cried and felt regret over what she had done, as did Zhang Qiaolin. The other three acted differently, pleading that they were acting in self defence. They are the prime culprits, and I think they will get a very harsh sentence, even a death sentence."
The trial lasted for eight hours and no verdict has yet been issued. The Church of Almighty God has said the five are not members and the trial is a smear attack by the Communist party.
Additional reporting by Adam Wu
Chinese cult members tell court they beat woman to death in McDonald's in self-defence because "she was a devil"
Five cult members Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong, Lyu Yingchun, Zhang Hang and Zhang Qiaolian stand trial on murder charges in Yantai Intermediate People's Court in Yantai City, east China's Shandong Province Photo: Xinhua/ Corbis
By Malcolm Moore, Beijing
4:06PM BST 21 Aug 2014
Five followers of a Chinese cult went on trial on Thursday charged with beating a woman to death in a branch of McDonald's after she refused to be recruited.
The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning, believes that Christ has returned in the shape of a middle-aged Chinese woman. The cult may have over a million members in China, according to the state media.
Zhang Lidong, reportedly a 54-year-old unemployed salesman, his 29-year-old and 18-year-old daughters, his 12-year-old son and two other women began speaking to 35-year-old woman, Wu Shuoyan in a branch of McDonald's in the city of Zhaoyuan in May.
Mr Zhang's 12-year-old son is too young to be criminally responsible and is not on trial.
When she refused to give them her phone number, they allegedly beat her to death with the metal handle of a mop. The attack was captured on smartphone videos which went viral at the time.
Ms Wu, the mother of a six-year-old boy, was waiting for her husband when the group approached. At 9.17pm she sent a message on her phone saying she had met "some crazy people". They began arguing a minute later.
In court, Mr Zhang, one of his daughters and another woman pleaded self-defence, according to the prosecution.
"I was angry today in court," said the prosecuting lawyer, who asked not to be named. "Three of them said they killed her in self-defence. They said the Church of Almighty God is a religion, not a cult, and that the victim was an evil spirit and needed to be beaten to death," he added.
He added: "The victim's family is in great pain. Her husband has not been well since she was killed and her son is only six years old. Where is their humanity?"
Ms Wu's younger sister, husband and his uncle were in court. The uncle, Lu Xueyi, said the three had "defended themselves with all those crazy cult theories which are unbearable to hear".
"They were even smiling while defending themselves. The cannot feel any guilt at all." He added: "Her husband is still deep in grief. The trial has brought back a lot of memories."
Mr Zhang's lawyer, Liu Yanci, said he had not noticed his client smiling. He said the trial had focused on what had happened in McDonald's. "They built the picture from the beginning of how they hit her, what they beat her with, where they hit her and how she died," he said.
A lawyer for Zhang Hang, one of his daughters, argued that she should be given the lightest sentence because she was merely a bystander.
"She cried and felt regret over what she had done, as did Zhang Qiaolin. The other three acted differently, pleading that they were acting in self defence. They are the prime culprits, and I think they will get a very harsh sentence, even a death sentence."
The trial lasted for eight hours and no verdict has yet been issued. The Church of Almighty God has said the five are not members and the trial is a smear attack by the Communist party.
Additional reporting by Adam Wu
these murderers will face a firing squad 
to the back oh the head!.
