In China, marriage is often regarded as life’s biggest gamble. Those who lose this gamble endure immense suffering, constant entanglements, financial ruin, and in extreme cases, it can lead to heinous crimes, even resulting in the killing of once-close companions. There are numerous high-profile cases in Chinese society that are connected to marital issues. The fundamental reason for the failure of marriages in China lies in the lack of equality ingrained in traditional culture. Regrettably, modern concepts like “equality” and “freedom” have not yet made a significant impact on the people in this land. Chinese marriages tend to exhibit two distinct characteristics. Firstly, due to exorbitant dowries demanded by the bride’s family, women are often objectified and relentlessly pursued for their financial worth, leading to resentment from men. Secondly, Chinese society continues to grapple with the chains of patriarchal thinking, resulting in widespread domestic violence in many households, often without any justification.
On July 11, 2023, a major heinous criminal case occurred in a small city called Haicheng, located in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. A 39-year-old man named Li Ensheng brutally murdered his 37-year-old wife, 60-year-old mother-in-law, and 13-year-old stepdaughter, only nine months after their marriage. The perpetrator later surrendered to the police. This incident sparked intense discussions on the internet, with a surprising number of netizens sympathizing with the culprit, and even villagers from his hometown signed a petition on his behalf. What could have driven Li Ensheng to commit such a cruel and heinous act against his own family, and why are so many people forgiving and understanding him?
Before marrying his current wife, Li Ensheng was an ordinary person who had gone through a divorce. His wife-to-be was also a divorcee with a daughter from her previous marriage. They got married during the 2022 National Day holiday, and from the outset, it seemed like a marriage based on financial exchange. Before the wedding, Li Ensheng helped his girlfriend pay off nearly 200,000 yuan in debts. He also spent a considerable amount of money to create a grand wedding ceremony, to show how much he valued his new wife and to give her family face. He spent over a hundred thousand yuan on three pieces of gold jewelry for his second wife. After the wedding, his wife wanted to buy a new house she liked, and without hesitation, Li sold his own house and persuaded his parents to sell their family land. He scraped together over 600,000 yuan to buy the new house for his wife, putting the property in her name. Consequently, Li Ensheng ended up with enormous debts due to this marriage and had to work in another city to repay them. Since his newly-wedded wife didn’t have a job, he also invested in helping her open a delivery station.
Their marriage resembled a transaction driven by money – and the man wasn’t a wealthy buyer, which led to escalating conflicts. The woman constantly demanded money from the man. Recently, under the pretext of home renovation, she asked Li Ensheng for nearly 70,000 yuan. However, when he returned home, he discovered that the house was not being renovated. The wife’s excuse was that the money was scammed by the renovation company, and there was no chance of getting it back or completing the renovation. Obviously, this reason was very far-fetched. Emotionally, it seemed that the woman wasn’t genuinely committed to living with Li Ensheng. While he was working away from home, she not only maintained ambiguous relationships with others but also kept close contact with her ex-husband. They often met in secret and engaged in secret affairs inside the new house Li Ensheng had bought for her. She even used money he gave her to support her ex-husband. Discovering the truth left Li Ensheng angry and hurt. He couldn’t fathom how devoted he had been to his wife, only to be betrayed and taken advantage of.
The conflict escalated, and the woman asked for a divorce, which meant that after being married for only 9 months, Li Ensheng would be left with nothing, as he had invested all his money into her. This impending failed marriage left him without any property, even losing his parents’ land, and burdened with substantial debt. The wife was calculating how to leave him with nothing when they divorced. Furious, Li Ensheng rushed home to confront his wife, but she didn’t allow him to enter the house. Even though he had paid for the house, he wasn’t allowed inside; Li was infuriated. However, the wife was unapologetic, claiming that since the property was under her name, she could decide who was allowed in.
Li Ensheng found himself with no way out, as his marriage brought him nothing but harm and complete bankruptcy. In a fit of anger, he chose to commit murder. On the night of July 11th, after 2 a.m., Li Ensheng secretly sneaked into his home and brutally killed his wife, mother-in-law, and stepdaughter. The victims’ deaths were horrific, and Li’s actions were abhorrent. It was evident that he harbored strong hatred towards all three of them. Many netizens felt that the victims, including Li’s wife and mother-in-law, were equally responsible, treating the newlywed husband as a mere source of money, as if the woman’s family had planned it all along. The conflict between Li and his mother-in-law played a significant role, as she turned a blind eye to her daughter’s affair, causing Li Ensheng to feel humiliated and disgraced. The killer may have felt trapped in a premeditated trap set by the family.
While some netizens sympathized with the possibility that Li was deceived into a fake marriage, they also condemned him for not sparing the innocent child. The most heart-wrenching aspect of the case, according to some netizens, was the 13-year-old girl. Her mother, grandmother, and biological father incited her to become part of the adults’ hatred, leading her to engage in inappropriate behavior such as urinating and defecating in Li Ensheng’s food bowl, further fueling his animosity towards all three of them.
Netizens quickly associated this tragic marriage with the prevalent scam of “marriage fraud” in China, where some women use marriage as a means to deceive men and extort money. In reality, marriage scams are not uncommon in China, as it is a society rife with fraudsters. Just a few days ago, there was a news report about a professional marriage fraudster named Zhai Xinxin, who drove her most recent husband, a wealthy millionaire and CEO of a big company, to commit suicide by jumping off a building.
After Li Ensheng killed his three family members, he voluntarily turned himself in to the police. As a suspect, Li doesn’t seem like a typical hardened criminal; he appears to be a gentle person. At the scene of his arrest, Li said that he had caused trouble for the police and society. His mother hugged him tightly, crying inconsolably. Netizens were moved by his act of surrender. It turns out that Li saw the police reward notice offering a reward of 50,000 yuan for his capture. He wanted his mother to receive the reward, so he had her call the police and inform them of his whereabouts. Consequently, both his mother and the police arrived at the scene. For his mother, this might have been the last time she would see her son. Li comforted her, saying that whether he died at 40 or 70, death was inevitable for everyone in the end.