Grisly China temple killer sentenced to death

BEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) A Chinese court sentenced a man to death for the grisly killing of 10 people in a Taoist temple, including the abbot, whom he believed had flirted with his wife, state media said today.

State media have said Qiu Xinghua, had cut out the abbot's eyes, heart and lungs and fried them in a wok and used the victims' blood to write "Deserved to die" on the temple wall.

Qiu, a 47-year-old farmer, went on his killing spree in July at the remote mountain temple in the northwestern province of Shaanxi and killed another person during a robbery when he fled to neighbouring Hubei province.

The victims at the temple included staff and pilgrims.

Ankang Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi handed down the death penalty after a four-hour trial yesterday, the Beijing News said.

"The hearing went smoothly and Qiu didn't dispute any evidence presented by the prosecution except saying he was not a lazy man as stated in the indictment," the newspaper said.

During the trial, Qiu for the first time apologised to the families of the victims, it said.

Qiu was caught in August when he tried to return home, after hundreds of police had pursued him for weeks.

Reuters SP DS1423