China actor, 31, executed by firing squad for brutal murder of girlfriend, 16, in secluded forest

Chinese actor Zhang Yiyang was sentenced to death for murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend in 2022 by slashing her on the neck in a secluded forest in Shaanxi, China before attempting to dispose of the evidence in a nearby reservoir.

Court records cited by Lianhe Zaobao and Hong Kong media indicated that Zhang was executed by firing squad in Xingping city, Shaanxi in December 2024.

He was the first known artiste in China to receive a death sentence.

Murdered girlfriend in forest over breakup

A court notice, which made the rounds on Weibo, indicated that Zhang and the victim were both from the same village in Xingping, and were in a relationship since 2021.

However, when the girl asked to break up with him, Zhang threatened to take his own life.

On Feb. 26, 2022, Zhang took a taxi to see the victim and asked her to accompany him on the pretext of celebrating his birthday.

At around 6pm, the victim got on the taxi with Zhang and the two travelled to a nearby forest.

There, they got into an argument about breaking up.

Zhang was said to have taken out a folding knife and slashed the victim multiple times on her neck.

Court records said this ruptured the victim's left carotid artery, jugular vein, windpipe, and oesophagus, and she died of asphyxiation from blood blocking her windpipe.

Tried to dispose of evidence & take his own life

At around 9pm, Zhang took the victim's phone and travelled back home, so he could change out of his clothes.

He subsequently threw the phone and clothes into a reservoir.

The next day, Zhang used the same knife to attempt to take his own life in a hotel room in Xingping.

But he was discovered by hotel staff, who called the police and an ambulance to take Zhang to hospital.

Zhang was later arrested by authorities.

Sentenced to death

Subsequently, Zhang was sentenced to death for intentional homicide and deprived of his political rights for life by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianyang city in Shaanxi.

He appealed against the verdict, but this was upheld by a high court in Shaanxi.

The case was later referred to the Supreme People's Court, the highest court in China.

The court issued an execution order for Zhang, and this was carried out on Dec. 18, 2024.

Born in 1990, Zhang was a mainland Chinese actor, director and singer-songwriter who participated in a variety of television shows and films, according to Baidu.

Zhang was known as an 18-line actor in the industry, which refers to those who take on supporting roles with limited dialogue, Zaobao reported.

He released at least 15 albums and previously won the "Golden Award" in China for best new actor.

Top image from Weibo & Unsplash