Chinese man kills parents, murders 17 neighbours to hide crime

A 27-year-old Chinese man has killed his parents who refused to repay his debts and murdered 17 neighbours, including children, to cover up his crimes in southwestern Yunnan province, a gory incident that has shocked the nation.

After returning to his hometown of Yema village in Huize county on Wednesday, Yang Qingpei killed his parents ‘in a rage’ after they refused to pay his debts.

Fearing he would be discovered by community members, Yang allegedly killed 17 neighbours, including three children, before escaping to the provincial capital of Kunming, where he works, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. After an investigation, police identified Yang as the suspect and caught him the next day in Kunming, it said.

Yang was arrested in Kunming, about 124 miles from the site of the murders in Yema, Yunnan police said on their official microblog. The suspect confessed to killing 19 people after a conflict with his parents, who were among the victims, police said. 

The victims were members of six families. Further investigation is under way.