Jump to content

Murder of Cecilia Zhang: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
 
(36 intermediate revisions by 24 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|2003 child murder in Ontario, Canada}}
'''Cecilia Zhang''' (also known as '''Dong-Yue Zhang'''; {{zh|s=张东岳|t=張東嶽|p=Zhāng Dōngyuè}}; March 30, 1994 – October 20, 2003) was a nine-year-old child from [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada who went missing on October 20, 2003.<ref name="TheStar2015">{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/30/murdered-girl-cecila-zhang-would-have-turned-21-this-weekend.html |title=Murdered girl Cecilia Zhang would have turned 21 this spring, neighbour recalls |last=Edwards |first=Peter |publisher=[[Toronto Star]] |date=May 30, 2015 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816172002/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/30/murdered-girl-cecila-zhang-would-have-turned-21-this-weekend.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref> After being missing for six months, her body was discovered by the [[Credit River]] in [[Mississauga]] on March 27, 2004. Min Chen, a Chinese citizen from [[Shanghai]] who was in Canada on a visa, was arrested. He pleaded guilty to [[Murder|second-degree murder]] on May 9, 2006.<ref name="TheStar2015"/> Chen confessed that he was [[kidnapping]] for [[ransom]] and her death was accidental.
{{for|the Hong Kong actress with the same name and Chinese surname|Cecilia Cheung}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title =Murder of Cecilia Zhang
| partof =
| image =Cecilia Zhang.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =Cecilia Zhang, {{circa}} summer of 2003
| map =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| location = [[North York]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]
| target =
| coordinates =
| date = 20 October 2003<!-- {{start date|df=yes|2003|10|20}}-<br />{{end date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| time =
| timezone =
| type = Abduction and second degree murder
| fatalities =1
| injuries =
| victims =Cecilia Zhang
| perpetrator =Min Chen
| susperps = <!-- or | susperp = -->
| weapons =
| numparts = <!-- or | numpart = -->
| dfens = <!-- or | dfen = -->
| motive =
}}
{{Infobox Chinese|title=Cecilia Zhang|order=st|s=张东岳|t=張東嶽|p=Zhāng Dōngyuè|w=Chang Tong-yüe}}
'''Cecilia Zhang''' (also known as '''Dong-Yue Zhang'''; March 30, 1994 – October 20, 2003) was a nine-year-old child from [[North York]], a [[Amalgamation of Toronto|district]] of [[Toronto]] located in [[Ontario]], Canada who went missing on October 20, 2003.<ref name="TheStar2015">{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/30/murdered-girl-cecila-zhang-would-have-turned-21-this-weekend.html |title=Murdered girl Cecilia Zhang would have turned 21 this spring, neighbour recalls |last=Edwards |first=Peter |publisher=[[Toronto Star]] |date=May 30, 2015 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816172002/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/30/murdered-girl-cecila-zhang-would-have-turned-21-this-weekend.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref> After being missing for six months, her body was discovered by the [[Credit River]] in [[Mississauga]] on March 27, 2004. Min Chen, a Chinese citizen from [[Shanghai]] who was in Canada on a visa, was arrested. He pleaded guilty to [[Murder|second-degree murder]] on May 9, 2006.<ref name="TheStar2015"/> Chen confessed that he was [[kidnapping]] for [[ransom]] and her death was accidental.


==Background==
==Background==
{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2023}}
Zhang was nine years old at the time of her abduction and murder. Her parents were Raymond Zhang and Sherry Xu. She was in [[Fourth grade|grade 4]] and enrolled at the [[Seneca Hill Public School]] and in a gifted program.<ref name="TheStar2015"/> Her parents reportedly did not let her play alone without supervision on the front lawn of their house.<ref name="TheStar2015"/>
Zhang was nine years old at the time of her abduction and murder. She was born on March 30, 1994, to her parents, Raymond Zhang and Sherry Xu, who came from [[Jiangsu]] and arrived in Canada in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/ceciliazhang/newsarchive.html | title=Timeline | website=www.cbc.ca | access-date=2024-08-26 | archive-date=February 8, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208012405/https://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/ceciliazhang/newsarchive.html | url-status=live }}</ref> She was in [[Fourth grade|grade 4]] and enrolled at the [[Seneca Hill Public School]] and in a gifted program. Her parents reportedly did not let her play alone without supervision on the front lawn of their house.<ref name="TheStar2015"/>


Min Chen ({{zh|s=陈敏|t=陳敏|p=Chén Mǐn}}; born January 30, 1983<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147297813092&call_pageid=968332188492 "From 'shy' boy to murderer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206223904/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147297813092&call_pageid=968332188492 |date=2009-02-06 }}, ''[[Toronto Star]]'', 11 May 2006.</ref>) is a [[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] native from [[Shanghai]] who had been living in [[Canada]] on a [[visa (document)|visa]] since 2001. His father is an airline executive and his mother is a police officer in Shanghai. They were giving him money at the time of the kidnapping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1090583543283_85992743/ |title=Cecilia may have been killed for money: reports |date=July 23, 2004 |website=CTV |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621015228/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1090583543283_85992743 |archive-date=June 21, 2009}}</ref>
Min Chen ({{zh|s=陈敏|t=陳敏|p=Chén Mǐn}}; born January 30, 1983<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147297813092&call_pageid=968332188492 "From 'shy' boy to murderer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206223904/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147297813092&call_pageid=968332188492 |date=February 6, 2009 }}, ''[[Toronto Star]]'', May 11, 2006.</ref>) is a [[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] native from [[Shanghai]] who had been living in [[Canada]] on a [[visa (document)|visa]] since 2001. His father is an airline executive and his mother is a police officer in Shanghai. They were giving him money in the course of the kidnapping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1090583543283_85992743/ |title=Cecilia may have been killed for money: reports |date=July 23, 2004 |website=CTV |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621015228/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1090583543283_85992743 |archive-date=June 21, 2009}}</ref>


At the time of Zhang's kidnapping, Chen had stopped his studying English at [[Seneca College]] Newnham Campus, which is near Zhang's home in [[North York]], [[Ontario]]. Chen also had not completed his grade 12 courses at a local private academy. According to police, Min Chen knew a female boarder who had lived at the Zhang home between September 2002 and March 2003 and had visited the Zhang home at least four times. Police said that Cecilia would have been comfortable in Chen's company under normal social circumstances.
At the time of Zhang's kidnapping, Chen had stopped his studying English at [[Seneca College]] Newnham Campus, which is near Zhang's home in [[North York]], [[Ontario]]. Chen also had not completed his grade 12 courses at a local private academy. According to police, Min Chen knew a female boarder who had lived at the Zhang home between September 2002 and March 2003 and had visited the Zhang home at least four times. Police said that Cecilia would have been comfortable in Chen's company under normal social circumstances.


==Abduction==
==Abduction==
According to an [[agreed statement]] of facts read out in a [[Brampton, Ontario|Brampton]], [[Ontario]] courthouse, Chen was failing in his college studies and feared deportation back to his native China. Being a broke visa student, he desperately needed $25,000 to enter into a [[marriage of convenience]] as a means of becoming a [[Permanent residency in Canada|permanent resident]] in Canada. Chen entered Zhang's home through a kitchen window and removed her from her home between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM, leaving by a side door. When Cecilia tried to scream, Chen covered her face with a towel and held his hand over her mouth. Cecilia had stopped struggling by the time Chen placed her inside the trunk of his car. When Chen checked on Cecilia later on, he discovered that she had stopped breathing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/tor-zhang060509.html |title=Student pleads guilty to killing 9-year-old Cecilia Zhang |date=May 9, 2006 |website=CBC Toronto |access-date=December 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513210604/http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/tor-zhang060509.html |archive-date=May 13, 2006}}</ref> According to Chen, Cecilia's death was the result of Chen's poorly planned kidnapping and not deliberate.
According to an [[agreed statement]] of facts read out in a [[Brampton, Ontario]] courthouse, Chen was failing in his college studies and feared deportation back to his native China. Being a broke visa student, he desperately needed $25,000 to enter into a [[marriage of convenience]] as a means of becoming a [[Permanent residency in Canada|permanent resident]] in Canada. Chen entered Zhang's home through a kitchen window and removed her from her home between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM, leaving by a side door. When Cecilia tried to scream, Chen covered her face with a towel and held his hand over her mouth. Cecilia had stopped struggling by the time Chen placed her inside the trunk of his car. When Chen checked on Cecilia later on, he discovered that she had stopped breathing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/tor-zhang060509.html |title=Student pleads guilty to killing 9-year-old Cecilia Zhang |date=May 9, 2006 |website=CBC Toronto |access-date=December 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513210604/http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/tor-zhang060509.html |archive-date=May 13, 2006}}</ref> According to Chen, Cecilia's death was the result of Chen's poorly planned kidnapping and not deliberate.


The [[decomposition|highly decomposed]] remains of Cecilia Zhang were subsequently found in a wooded area of [[Mississauga]] by the Credit River at [[Eglinton Avenue]] on Saturday, March 27, 2004.<ref name="TheStar2015"/> Investigators were unable to determine the cause of death and were unable to determine if she had been [[sexually assaulted]] due to the advanced decomposition.<ref name="TheStar2015"/>
The [[decomposition|highly decomposed]] remains of Cecilia Zhang were subsequently found in a wooded area of [[Mississauga]] by the Credit River at [[Eglinton Avenue]] on Saturday, March 27, 2004.<ref name="TheStar2015"/> Investigators were unable to determine the cause of death and were unable to determine if she had been [[sexually assaulted]] due to the advanced decomposition.<ref name="TheStar2015"/>


==Trial==
==Trial==
Peel Regional Police had received a complaint about potential illegal fishing in the area on Sept. 18, 2003<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/ceciliazhang/gfx/zhangstatementfact.pdf]</ref> near where the body was discovered. His fingerprints were also found on a window screen of Zhang's house.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latest Breaking News, Headlines & Updates &#124; National Post|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-controversial-carding-practice-is-an-invaluable-source-of-intelligence-for-police-if-done-right|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711175827/http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-controversial-carding-practice-is-an-invaluable-source-of-intelligence-for-police-if-done-right|archive-date=2016-07-11|access-date=2016-07-22}}</ref>
Peel Regional Police had received a complaint about potential [[illegal fishing]] in the area on Sept. 18, 2003<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/ceciliazhang/gfx/zhangstatementfact.pdf Agreed Statement of Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227065223/https://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/ceciliazhang/gfx/zhangstatementfact.pdf |date=December 27, 2021 }} Ontario Superior Court of Justice</ref> near where the body was discovered. His fingerprints were also found on a window screen of Zhang's house.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latest Breaking News, Headlines & Updates &#124; National Post|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-controversial-carding-practice-is-an-invaluable-source-of-intelligence-for-police-if-done-right|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711175827/http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-controversial-carding-practice-is-an-invaluable-source-of-intelligence-for-police-if-done-right|archive-date=2016-07-11|access-date=2016-07-22}}</ref>


Min Chen was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Chen was represented by criminal lawyer [[John Rosen]], who had previously defended [[serial killer]] and [[serial rapist]] [[Paul Bernardo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060509/cecilia_chen_accused_060509 |title=Chinese visa student admits to killing Cecilia |date=May 10, 2006 |website=CTV |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220085621/http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060509/cecilia_chen_accused_060509 |archive-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> Min Chen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 9, 2006. He was sentenced to life imprisonment; under the [[faint hope clause]] then in effect, he was given the right to apply for [[parole]] after 15 years.
Min Chen was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Chen was represented by criminal lawyer [[John Rosen]], who had previously defended [[serial killer]] and [[serial rapist]] [[Paul Bernardo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060509/cecilia_chen_accused_060509 |title=Chinese visa student admits to killing Cecilia |date=May 10, 2006 |website=CTV |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220085621/http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060509/cecilia_chen_accused_060509 |archive-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> Min Chen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 9, 2006. He was sentenced to life imprisonment; under the [[faint hope clause]] then in effect, he was given the right to apply for [[parole]] after 15 years.
Line 20: Line 53:
During sentencing, Justice Bruce Durno, who presided over the case, questioned Chen's explanation of the events. He stated: “This was not an accidental killing in the course of a bungled kidnapping”.<ref name="TheStar2015"/><ref name="TheStar2007">{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/01/03/killer_caught_but_mystery_lingers.html |title=Killer caught, but mystery lingers |last=Mitchell |first=Bob |publisher=[[Toronto Star]] |date= January 3, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816180235/https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/01/03/killer_caught_but_mystery_lingers.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref>
During sentencing, Justice Bruce Durno, who presided over the case, questioned Chen's explanation of the events. He stated: “This was not an accidental killing in the course of a bungled kidnapping”.<ref name="TheStar2015"/><ref name="TheStar2007">{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/01/03/killer_caught_but_mystery_lingers.html |title=Killer caught, but mystery lingers |last=Mitchell |first=Bob |publisher=[[Toronto Star]] |date= January 3, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816180235/https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/01/03/killer_caught_but_mystery_lingers.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref>


Lacking an [[extradition treaty]] between the governments of Canada and the People’s Republic of China, [[human rights]] lawyers have noted that under Chinese law, when Chen completes his sentence and is [[deportation|deported]] back to China, he will likely face a second trial and sentence in China. Canadian law forbids this practice, known as [[double jeopardy]], while Chinese law permits it if a Chinese resident commits a crime on foreign soil. Trial and punishment in the other country is seen as a [[mitigating factor]], but does not preclude further imprisonment or [[death penalty|execution]] [[Capital punishment in China|in the People's Republic of China]].<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147557011915&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 "Is child killer here to stay?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206223909/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147557011915&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 |date=2009-02-06 }}, ''[[Toronto Star]]'', 14 May 2006.</ref>
Lacking an [[extradition treaty]] between the governments of Canada and the People's Republic of China, [[human rights]] lawyers have noted that under Chinese law, when Chen completes his sentence and is [[deportation|deported]] back to China, he will likely face a second trial and sentence in China. Canadian law forbids this practice, known as [[double jeopardy]], while Chinese law permits it if a Chinese resident commits a crime on foreign soil. Trial and punishment in the other country is seen as a [[mitigating factor]], but does not preclude further imprisonment or [[death penalty|execution]] [[Capital punishment in China|in the People's Republic of China]].<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147557011915&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 "Is child killer here to stay?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206223909/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1147557011915&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 |date=February 6, 2009 }}, ''[[Toronto Star]]'', May 14, 2006.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|China}}
*[[List of kidnappings]]
*[[List of kidnappings]]
*[[List of solved missing person cases: post-2000|List of solved missing person cases]]
*[[List of solved missing person cases: post-2000|List of solved missing person cases]]
Line 31: Line 65:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|Canada|China}}
*[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/ceciliazhang/index.html CBC News In Depth - The Cecilia Zhang case]
*[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/ceciliazhang/index.html CBC News In Depth - The Cecilia Zhang case]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Cecilia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Cecilia}}
[[Category:2000s missing person cases]]
[[Category:2000s missing person cases]]
[[Category:2000s murders in Canada]]
[[Category:2003 in Ontario]]
[[Category:2003 in Ontario]]
[[Category:2003 crimes in Canada]]
[[Category:2003 murders in Canada]]
[[Category:2003 murders in North America]]
[[Category:Canada–China relations]]
[[Category:Canada–China relations]]
[[Category:Child abduction in Canada]]
[[Category:Child abduction in Canada]]
Line 45: Line 76:
[[Category:Formerly missing people]]
[[Category:Formerly missing people]]
[[Category:History of Mississauga]]
[[Category:History of Mississauga]]
[[Category:Child murder in Canada]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against girls]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against girls]]
[[Category:Kidnappings in Canada]]
[[Category:Kidnappings in Canada]]
[[Category:Kidnapping in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Murder in Ontario]]
[[Category:Murder in Ontario]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in Canada]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in Canada]]
[[Category:October 2003 events in Canada]]
[[Category:October 2003 events in Canada]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto]]
[[Category:2003 in Toronto]]

Latest revision as of 20:37, 5 October 2024

Murder of Cecilia Zhang
Cecilia Zhang, c. summer of 2003
LocationNorth York, Ontario, Canada
Date20 October 2003
Attack type
Abduction and second degree murder
Deaths1
VictimsCecilia Zhang
PerpetratorMin Chen
Cecilia Zhang
Simplified Chinese张东岳
Traditional Chinese張東嶽
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhāng Dōngyuè
Wade–GilesChang Tong-yüe

Cecilia Zhang (also known as Dong-Yue Zhang; March 30, 1994 – October 20, 2003) was a nine-year-old child from North York, a district of Toronto located in Ontario, Canada who went missing on October 20, 2003.[1] After being missing for six months, her body was discovered by the Credit River in Mississauga on March 27, 2004. Min Chen, a Chinese citizen from Shanghai who was in Canada on a visa, was arrested. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 9, 2006.[1] Chen confessed that he was kidnapping for ransom and her death was accidental.

Background

[edit]

Zhang was nine years old at the time of her abduction and murder. She was born on March 30, 1994, to her parents, Raymond Zhang and Sherry Xu, who came from Jiangsu and arrived in Canada in 1998.[2] She was in grade 4 and enrolled at the Seneca Hill Public School and in a gifted program. Her parents reportedly did not let her play alone without supervision on the front lawn of their house.[1]

Min Chen (simplified Chinese: 陈敏; traditional Chinese: 陳敏; pinyin: Chén Mǐn; born January 30, 1983[3]) is a Chinese native from Shanghai who had been living in Canada on a visa since 2001. His father is an airline executive and his mother is a police officer in Shanghai. They were giving him money in the course of the kidnapping.[4]

At the time of Zhang's kidnapping, Chen had stopped his studying English at Seneca College Newnham Campus, which is near Zhang's home in North York, Ontario. Chen also had not completed his grade 12 courses at a local private academy. According to police, Min Chen knew a female boarder who had lived at the Zhang home between September 2002 and March 2003 and had visited the Zhang home at least four times. Police said that Cecilia would have been comfortable in Chen's company under normal social circumstances.

Abduction

[edit]

According to an agreed statement of facts read out in a Brampton, Ontario courthouse, Chen was failing in his college studies and feared deportation back to his native China. Being a broke visa student, he desperately needed $25,000 to enter into a marriage of convenience as a means of becoming a permanent resident in Canada. Chen entered Zhang's home through a kitchen window and removed her from her home between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM, leaving by a side door. When Cecilia tried to scream, Chen covered her face with a towel and held his hand over her mouth. Cecilia had stopped struggling by the time Chen placed her inside the trunk of his car. When Chen checked on Cecilia later on, he discovered that she had stopped breathing.[5] According to Chen, Cecilia's death was the result of Chen's poorly planned kidnapping and not deliberate.

The highly decomposed remains of Cecilia Zhang were subsequently found in a wooded area of Mississauga by the Credit River at Eglinton Avenue on Saturday, March 27, 2004.[1] Investigators were unable to determine the cause of death and were unable to determine if she had been sexually assaulted due to the advanced decomposition.[1]

Trial

[edit]

Peel Regional Police had received a complaint about potential illegal fishing in the area on Sept. 18, 2003[6] near where the body was discovered. His fingerprints were also found on a window screen of Zhang's house.[7]

Min Chen was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Chen was represented by criminal lawyer John Rosen, who had previously defended serial killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo.[8] Min Chen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 9, 2006. He was sentenced to life imprisonment; under the faint hope clause then in effect, he was given the right to apply for parole after 15 years.

During sentencing, Justice Bruce Durno, who presided over the case, questioned Chen's explanation of the events. He stated: “This was not an accidental killing in the course of a bungled kidnapping”.[1][9]

Lacking an extradition treaty between the governments of Canada and the People's Republic of China, human rights lawyers have noted that under Chinese law, when Chen completes his sentence and is deported back to China, he will likely face a second trial and sentence in China. Canadian law forbids this practice, known as double jeopardy, while Chinese law permits it if a Chinese resident commits a crime on foreign soil. Trial and punishment in the other country is seen as a mitigating factor, but does not preclude further imprisonment or execution in the People's Republic of China.[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Edwards, Peter (May 30, 2015). "Murdered girl Cecilia Zhang would have turned 21 this spring, neighbour recalls". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "Timeline". www.cbc.ca. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "From 'shy' boy to murderer" Archived February 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Toronto Star, May 11, 2006.
  4. ^ "Cecilia may have been killed for money: reports". CTV. July 23, 2004. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Student pleads guilty to killing 9-year-old Cecilia Zhang". CBC Toronto. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Agreed Statement of Facts Archived December 27, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Ontario Superior Court of Justice
  7. ^ "Latest Breaking News, Headlines & Updates | National Post". Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  8. ^ "Chinese visa student admits to killing Cecilia". CTV. May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  9. ^ Mitchell, Bob (January 3, 2007). "Killer caught, but mystery lingers". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "Is child killer here to stay?" Archived February 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Toronto Star, May 14, 2006.
[edit]