CHINA. DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAN CONVICTED IN KIDNAPPING CASE

Ye Li, a 24-year-old Henan Province native, was sentenced to death by the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, China, for kidnapping and murder. It was alleged that Ye and an accomplice tricked a former co-worker, Lin, into coming to Ye’s residence on July 15, 2005, where they kidnapped him. They then called Lin's parents, demanding a 300,000 yuan (US$ 37,000) ransom. As Lin’s parent refused to pay the ransom, they killed him after forcing him to tell them his bank security number and stole more than 6,000 yuan worth of property from his account. The accomplice was due to be tried separately.