Man accused of murdering 10 people in temple goes on trial

The man accused of murdering 10 people at a Taoist temple in northwest China has been scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon, according to local sources.

Qiu Xinghua, a 47-year-old farmer, is charged with hacking to death the temple abbot, five staff and four pilgrims at the Tiewadian temple in Ankang of Shaanxi Province on July 14.

He suspected that the abbot had had an affair with his wife and, after killing him, gouged out his eyes, cut open his stomach, cooked his internal organs and wrote on the wall of the temple in his victim's blood.

Qiu was caught on the night of Aug. 19 when he tried to sneak back home.

A meeting between Qiu and his son was arranged on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting lasted half an hour. Qiu appeared calm and told his son to "work hard and be a good man."

Qiu is writing an autobiography in prison and has so far written about twelve pages. According to a prison guard, he doesn't sleep well at night. "He is under a lot of mental pressure as the trial approaches," he said.

Source: Xinhua