Mom killed Dad

At the end of 2016, Liu Jing sent me a murder case she handled.

She was a prosecutor in a coastal city in Shandong province whose murder was not paid for.

1

“I always heard the man upstairs beating his wife and her running to and fro in the house. At first we were quite angry, think this man is too much, then slowly also get used to. Later on, the neighbors are very annoying them, fighting, that man always throw things in the corridor, this is a typical disturbance!” “Chen Min, 60, said coolly when confronted by police who came to collect evidence.

The old residential building was the scene of an intentional homicide. The police came back and forth four times in seven days.

The victim was the abusive man. The middle-aged woman Chen described as annoying him from pity was the man’s emaciated wife, Zhang Hong, 45, who was taken away by police as a suspect after the attack.

Lived in this residential building for more than twenty years. In the eyes of the neighbors, Zhang hong’s behavior was a little strange. “When I was beaten, I went to the neighbor’s house to borrow a mobile phone and said I would call her male employer. Then her man hit her harder and said nothing more. A few times he growled again and she ran out the door, forgetting her clothes.” Qi Jihong, a neighbor on the fifth floor, rambled on to the police as if recounting the cliched story of a TV series.

“What do you think we should do? It’s all about the couple. Her daughter doesn’t care.” Ms. Zhang’s door was open as she said this, and her daughter, Cui Ying, was sitting by the door. Qi was so loud that she was completely unaware of her neighbors.

Qi Jihong, the head of the unit, has lived with Zhang hong’s neighbors for many years. In her eyes, Zhang Hong is like a imprisoned shadow. In the few days she meets her, she always slips behind the wall and the thin shadow comes and goes in a hurry.

“My father has been beating my mother for at least more than a decade,” zhang’s daughter cui Ying, 21, said with a sudden smile. “The family has never been in charge of anything.”

Prosecutor Liu Jing has handled more than one similar case. But never once have I felt so sad as when I heard the girl’s words.

Later, Ms. Liu and her colleagues visited the scene of the murder several times. The room was as quiet as death. The wall of the girl’s father’s bedroom was covered with spattered blood.

According to the evidence, Zhang hong and Qi Jihong had a good relationship.

The door of zhang Hong home guard against theft is always locked, the daily sundry cost such as water and electricity bill is Zhang Hong gives Qi Jihong ahead of time. “She repelled us to find her,” Qi once told the police. “Once the ceiling below her house was leaking, and she found her downstairs. She said through the security door that it was not her house, so she told him to find her upstairs. They say that even if the upstairs leakage, is also the first leakage to your home ah. You open the door and I’ll take a look. But the woman would not.”

After a while, every window of Zhang Hong’s house was fitted with security Windows, of the most heavy and sturdy steel rims; Then, in an act of surprise and disgust to her neighbors, Ms. Zhang had all the Windows in the hallway of her apartment installed and locked.

Even so, every time she met her neighbors, she looked as if she were very afraid of them, and her face was pale, as if someone might come and harm her at any moment. Until the crime.

“In a few days, get someone to remove the security Windows in the hallway and see the sun.” Chen min swung the mop and closed the door.

2

Zhang’s husband, cui Yuhai, a police officer, was found several days after he was killed. It was the defendant in the case, his wife Zhang Hong, who provided the clue.

The first person suspected of an accident is cui Yuhai’s leadership as the sea.

It is an open secret that Cui yuhai’s relationship is not working, and Zhang Hong is often described by her husband as “out of her mind”. According to ren Dahai’s testimony, that morning, Cui Yuhai did not go to work.

Ren Dahai called him. “Zhang Hong answered the phone. She said That Lao Cui was ill and could not go to work.” “When I asked what was wrong, she said he had a headache. I didn’t ask again.”

But the second day, Cui Yuhai still did not go to work, close to the end of work, as the sea to listen to the leader of the party group said, Zhang Hong gave him a phone call, said Cui Yuhai was seriously ill, let the organization send someone to see. Let the sea heart a sink, jumped up and grabbed each other to run to cui house. they arrived at the door, Zhang Hong took the key one by one to open the lock on the security door, let the sea saw the bedroom at a glance in a pool of blood. He immediately called the police.

And at that time, Zhang Hong had been guarding cui Yuhai’s body for nearly two days.

Cui Ying received a call from the sea, it was already dark. Cui Ying was staying at her friend’s house on vacation. When she arrived home, many neighbors were standing in the dim light of the corridor. The police car was parked not far from the door of the apartment.

“I walked upstairs, my knees weak, my heart pounding. Uncle Ren is waiting in front of my house. He took my hand and through the cracks I saw the scene of the murder.” When collecting evidence, Cui Ying recalled her memory dreamily.

In the eyes of many colleagues, Cui Yuhai, an old policeman, works very hard, but has a bad temper and treats his wife badly.

Wei Hui is Ren Dahai’s wife and another key witness in the case. Ms. Ren grew up watching Ms. Cui, she said, and they often tried to persuade the family, but nothing worked. Zhang Hong new injury constantly, Wei Hui also had secretly shed tears.

Cui Ying 11 or 12 years old, ren Dahai told Wei Hui to take care of Zhang Hong. They always talk quietly, mostly when Cui Yuhai is not at home. But anyhow, still cannot block cui Yuhai’s violent fist.

“Once I went to look for her and met her face to face in the corridor and rushed down without any clothes on. I quickly grabbed her and said, wouldn’t it be good to go back and put on your coat? She said fearfully: ‘No, Lao Cui asked me to buy medicine, I forgot to buy medicine’. Isn’t it funny, a big man, to scare his wife like that?”

Cui Ying has lived on campus since junior high school. Cui ying said that one Friday night, she had just returned home, opened the door and saw her mother lying on the ground, too hurt to move. Seeing her daughter, Zhang Hong’s tears flowed all the time. Cui Ying hurriedly go up to help, Zhang Hong still dare not move, it seems to be injured. Cui Ying cried and called Wei Hui. Before long, Wei Hui came with the medicine.

Wei Hui is a doctor, after examination found that Zhang Hong’s ribs may be broken, he called Cui Yuhai.

It was a particularly cold day. It got dark early, and there was a suffocating sense of repression and fear in the room. Soon, Cui Yuhai came back. His expression was stiff and cold, and his tone was very stiff: “Zhang Hong is mentally ill. You should not keep company with her, nor should you mind our family affairs.”

“Old cui, not I say you, you this is a crime. Is hitting a woman a skill?”

Cui Yuhai interrupted her: “Lao Wei, can you and Lao Ren take care of our family affairs?” Zhang Hong didn’t even dare to breathe.

‘What a temper! Really.” Even though Cui Yuhai had been killed, Wei Hui did not hide her great dissatisfaction with him.

3

For Cui Yuhai’s unit, this is more of a thorny issue.

Family units are not supposed to get involved. But it is no small matter that Zhang Hong has been hospitalized several times for being broken by Cui Yuhai’s ribs.

Ren Dahai is an old policeman, he knows, if this thing does not happen between husband and wife, or even if the beaten object is not submissible Zhang Hong, Cui Yuhai would have been arrested for suspected intentional injury. But no matter to the organization or to his personal identity of persuasion, Cui Yuhai do not listen to go in, “this woman has mental illness!” This is one of his most frequent phrases.

No one dared to question Cui Yuhai, not even Zhang Hong’s family.

Mom killed Dad
It’s not that Zhang Hong hasn’t asked her family for help. But no one, including Cui Ying’s grandmother, had really paid attention to her situation. Cui ying said that her mother was born in a large family. When my grandfather was young, he traveled far and wide and made a lot of money. Even after the social changes, in her mind, the family was still very rich. In her grandmother’s home in the countryside, Cui Ying had seen jade pipes and other old objects. Mother also has an elder brother, two younger brothers, in the countryside, this is the symbol of flourishing population.

But there seems to be something wrong with the home.

Cui Ying knew from an early age that her aunt was abnormal. Often wearing little underwear, she wandered around the village and was kept at home by her children. Only when she was a little older did she realize that her aunt, too, had become what she was because of family discord. Grandpa was normal, but bad-tempered, and he felt like he was always depressed and cold.

Cui Ying listened to uncle said, at that time her mother went to the city to work, through the introduction of her father, the wind and beauty of the married, the villagers are very envious. But soon, my uncle found that my mother would cry every time she went home. Then things started to go wrong, like washing clothes over and over again, taking a bath for five or six hours, and my personality began to deteriorate.

About five or six years ago, Zhang’s ribs were broken for the third time by Cui yuhai.

Cui Ying’s uncle was very angry. When he went to the hospital to visit her, he fought with Cui Yuhai. But the performance of Zhang Hong also lets her family some very quickly unbearable, she begins to keep “tell”, say old cui have an affair, want to kill her, also say the nurse of the hospital also wants to hurt her.

Eventually everyone got a little bored, until the family didn’t want to hang out with them either.

Not long after, Zhang Hong discovers to suffer from uterine cancer. Hospitalized for several months, mostly cui Yuhai care, more difficult to say what his family. At this time, Cui Yuhai with Cui Ying’s uncle put forward, Zhang Hong spirit has a problem, to send her to a mental hospital, suddenly and fried pot,

Cui Ying’s grandfather and grandmother firmly opposed, their opinion is “can’t afford to lose this person”; Cui Ying’s second uncle, on the other hand, thought that even if she went, her sister would not be well taken care of and she would be better left at home.

Finally, the family sent Cui Ying’s second uncle and Cui Yuhai talk, firmly opposed to him to send Zhang Hong to the mental hospital. Even so, Cui Yuhai still took the opportunity to accompany Zhang Hong to visit, take her to See the disease in Tianjin. They came back with some medicine, but it didn’t work.

In such days, Cui Ying grew up day by day. For this family, from anxious fear, to attempt to change, and then to the helpless, as their only daughter, Cui Ying also gradually numb, and even began to avoid.

Since she started living on campus in junior high school, she always went home once a week, or even twice a week, and communicated with her mother less.

Now, her mother’s home is the last door for Zhang Hong to ask for help. And her daughter is her last prop to keep herself alive. As the doors closed one by one, Zhang grew lonelier.

4

“Even though my mom killed my dad, I can’t hate my mom.” This was cui Ying’s best line during police questioning. She felt that her mother’s abnormality began when her father and mother were frustrated in their relationship when they were young.

When she was young, Zhang hong was a beautiful woman, famous for her embroidery and fond of recording love songs such as “A plum blossom” on an old tape recorder for Cui Yuhai. But Cui yuhai is a broad-brush man who doesn’t like to listen to these nuon-like melodramas. What he needs, it seems, is for Zhang Hong to fulfill her traditional duties as a wife, such as cooking and washing, respecting the elderly, and normal married life.

Cui Yuhai is a policeman, work is not white, not black, not on time to go home. As a result, Zhang is mostly alone at home during the day. At that time, Cui Yuhai often returned home hungry, found the home cold basin cold stove, even no boiling water, angry at Zhang Hong. And Zhang Hong, very easy hope husband returns home, the result is to be thrown a fit of rage to dispel all the anticipation in the conception however, she begins to sulk.

Cui Yuhai will not deceive people, two people feel each other is simply unreasonable.

Cui Ying feels, mother’s abnormality begins from that time.

First came the intolerable obsession with cleanliness — the immaculate washing of the same thing over and over again; Let Cui Ying wash her hands repeatedly; As soon as a guest comes, sits on the sofa and waits for the guest to leave, the sofa cover will be changed immediately. Later, when Cui Yuhai comes back, he cannot sit on the sofa without changing his clothes, but can only sit on the pony.

Soon, Cui Yuhai began to ignore Zhang Hong.

It was not long before something happened that no one, including Cui Ying’s grandmother and grandmother, could understand or accept.

One Spring Festival, Cui invited her parents to spend the holiday at home. Cui Yuhai gave Zhang Hong a call in advance and took back a lot of seafood. That is a great year 29, thandie remember her in my grandparents’ house to play, grandma and grandpa pleased to put on new clothes, grandma also with a large bundle of handmade cookies, daughter-in-law said he would bring to try – since Cui Yuhai small couples quarrel constantly, the old couple is not the door, they think this holiday together, is an opportunity to lessen the couple relationship, so the attention.

More than four o ‘clock in the afternoon, Cui Yuhai went to pick up his parents and daughter, a few people happy to go home. But when the door opened, everyone froze. At that time Cui Ying home or bungalow, there is a small yard, Cui Yuhai bought all kinds of seafood by Zhang Hong in the yard, Zhang Hong is washing clothes, one by one, keep washing. There was a cold stove in the kitchen, the beehive was out, and no fire in the main hall. The house was as cold as ice. Most important of all, Zhang hong hardly smiled when she saw her grandparents coming.

As her grandparents turned to leave, Cui Ying remembered standing at the gate of the courtyard, wondering whether she should follow them or stay in the strange atmosphere of her home. It was nearly six o ‘clock, it was already dark, and she knew the storm was coming.

Cui Ying did not want to think about the night. Just know before this matter, Cui Yuhai has snubbed Zhang Hong for several days, perhaps Zhang Hong is thinking, should use a kind of what kind of way, to express her dissatisfaction with Cui Yuhai. But the way she chose to do it made her the enemy of everyone.

Cui Yuhai was even more aloof with his wife.

5

“How do you get his attention?”

Cui Ying was in primary school at that time, and she remembers clearly that her mother had pulled her and asked her such questions many times.

Zhang Hong often cries with her daughter. Sometimes, when Cui Yuhai beat her, she would sit in the living room in the dark for hours.

Soon, Cui Yuhai started more and more often, which makes Zhang Hong more afraid. The security door was put in, and several locks were put on it, and there was always talk of someone trying to hurt her, and fear of the “tick, tick” of the clock, which she said was like footsteps.

The family’s old tape recorder was forgotten in the corner, and their wedding photos were still on the bedside table. Every day, she polished the frame until it was shiny.

Zhang hong began to refuse her husband to share the bed with her. This makes Cui Yuhai extremely angry. At the beginning, he will also talk to her, to later, Zhang Hong under the pillow to hide a pair of scissors, once Cui Yuhai near her, she will use this extreme way resolute resistance.

Constantly arguing and fighting. Until Cui Ying examination went to other places.

Occasionally, she would get a call from her mother, crying as usual that her father was going to kill her. But the number of times, Cui Ying also gradually numb.

Until the crime.

Mom killed Dad
Almost everyone, including Zhang hong’s family, believed that she would die if she killed someone. However, Zhang was not sentenced to death.

The prosecutor, Liu Jing, told Cui, who lives at her grandmother’s house, that after the arrest, the prosecutor received a “compulsory medical opinion” from the public security authority, which said that Zhang needed to be treated in a psychiatric institution. “According to the diagnostic assessment by the municipal Institute of Mental Illness Forensics, At that time, Zhang hong’s risk factor for assault was rated at level 5, the highest level, meaning that your mother was at risk of committing any act of violence against anyone, whether at home or in a public place.”

“I met your mom, and she was in bad shape and hostile to anyone. Can you tell me? Have you been with her all these years without realizing that she has a mental illness?”

Cui Ying could not say a word.

Zhang Hong’s abnormality can be felt by everyone. And over the years, Cui Yuhai several times to Zhang Hong’s family’s advice, are also reasonable. But how did Cui Ying, their only daughter, not pay any attention to it, instead avoiding her mother all the time?

Cui Ying burst into tears.

“We’re going to send your mother to the city Mental Health Center for systematic treatment. Do you agree? Although your mother is not criminally responsible, she may continue to harm society. According to the second paragraph of Article 285 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China, as the procuratorial organ, we have applied to the court for compulsory medical treatment.”

What do you disagree with? Was she allowed to continue to live under the illusion of fear? This time, no one stopped.

6

Zhang’s case was handed down on December 16, 2015.

After the trial, the court held that the mental patient involved had committed acts of violence against others, resulting in the death of one person and seriously endangering the safety of others’ lives. Although he was identified as a mental patient who was not criminally responsible according to the legal procedure, he was likely to continue to endanger the society and qualified for compulsory medical treatment. Zhang hong was sent to the city’s psychological rehabilitation hospital for treatment.

But less than two months after Zhang was hospitalized, her family found a lawyer and filed for the mandatory treatment to be released because they still didn’t want outsiders to know there was a “mental illness” in the family.

The only people who suffer are the patients and their families.

According to the regulation, the court held a hearing on whether Zhang Hong could be relieved of the compulsory medical treatment. Procuratorate believes that the assessment report issued compulsory medical institutions is set forth, zhang hong treatment in stable condition, achieved clinical cure standards, but also at the same time, do not rule out meet emergencies can cause relapse or aggravating, affect its control ability and judgment, because of illness and the influence of lead to the possibility of surprises. Because this still has certain person danger, do not accord with the condition that removes compulsory medical treatment.

Finally, the court accepted the opinion of the prosecutor’s office and made the decision to continue the compulsory medical treatment.

Zhang hong recovered quickly.

Three months later, upon zhang Hong’s application, the municipal Judicial expert of mental illness conducted a diagnostic evaluation and concluded that her psychiatric symptoms disappeared and her self-knowledge recovered, and there was no risk factor for aggressive behavior. The court lifted the compulsory medical treatment to Zhang Hong according to law.

Cui Ying rented a house in the city where she was studying for her PhD and took her mother to live with her. It seems that Zhang Hong has become much calmer, going in and out like a normal person and occasionally dancing in small squares.

Cui ying went back to her hometown near the Spring Festival of 2016 and planned to sell her old house. She sorted through her father’s old things, ready to throw them away. Suddenly, in the wallet under the bed of his bed, she found a very old black and white photo. The woman in the photo is about her age. On the back of the photo, there is a line of small words: 1987, the courtyard as a souvenir. Suddenly she remembered the woman crying.

It was at my father’s farewell ceremony, and there was a woman in her forties in the back of the crowd, crying all the time. Cui Ying vaguely remembered that the woman cried very special, is a kind of suppressed cry, dare not speak but could not restrain.

In 1987, about that year, Zhang began to tell everyone that Cui had had an affair. But no one ever believed it.

(Place and name are pseudonyms for the protection of the parties)