Woman Ordered To Pay $100K After Her Stalker Ex-Boyfriend Murders Flatmate

A court has ordered a woman to pay more than $100,000 in compensation as judges ruled that she was liable in her friend’s murder, in a case that has been subject to years of heated public debate in China. 

The woman, Liu Nuanxi, and the victim, Jiang Ge, were both 24 and close friends when they were studying in Japan in 2016. When Liu was being harassed and stalked by her ex-boyfriend at that time, Jiang let her move into her Tokyo apartment. 

One night, the two came home and encountered the man, Chen Shifeng. According to the court, while Jiang was having an argument with Chen, Liu entered the flat and locked the door. Chen then stabbed Jiang more than 10 times in the neck as they stood in the hallway. 

Chen was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Tokyo court in 2017. Liu’s supposed ethical and legal failures also came under intense public scrutiny as the victim’s mother, Jiang Qiulian, accused Liu of contributing to the murder of her only child, filing a civil lawsuit against her in China. 

Jiang’s mother posted Liu and her parents’ personal information online, also accusing Liu of sending her hostile messages and refusing to answer questions about her daughter’s murder. Sympathetic to the mother’s pleas, the case prompted widespread public outrage against Liu.

In media interviews in 2017, Liu denied she had locked the door or was aware of the stabbing occurring outside, and cried as she talked about the abuse being directed at her. But her words only led to more condemnation as a campaign of hate grew around Liu, with internet users even suggesting that they wished she were the one killed. 

On Monday, a court in the eastern city of Qingdao ruled that Liu pay 696,000 Chinese yuan ($109,000) to the victim’s mother. In an online statement, the court said that Liu was liable as she did not inform Jiang about threats sent to Liu by her ex-boyfriend, she stopped Jiang from reporting the harassment to police, and at the time of the murder, left her friend in danger while trying to protect herself. 

The court said the victim should be praised for offering “selfless help to others,” while Liu should be condemned for failing to display gratitude and making “inappropriate remarks” to cause further pain to Jiang’s mother. 

The verdict was widely applauded on Chinese social media, although some commentators said they hoped Liu would receive a harsher penalty. Following the verdict, Jiang’s mother said on microblogging site Weibo that she was glad that the court declared Liu responsible for her daughter’s death.

“Today, China’s supreme justice system finally confirmed Liu Nuanxi’s conduct,” she said. “It was Liu Nuanxi who locked Jiang Ge’s door…I have always known the law would uphold justice for Jiang Ge.”

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