"Brother" to Cornfield Killer... Why Is Sympathy Flooding Chinese Social Media?

Chinese Man Fatally Stabs Neighbor After Minor Dispute
1 Million Won Reward Offered... Sympathy Emerges: "Let's Not Report Him"
Critics Warn: "A Dangerous Sign of Distrust in the Rule of Law"

In China, a man in his 50s who murdered a neighbor with a weapon and hid in a cornfield was caught by the police, sparking controversy as sympathetic opinions defending him have spread online.

Chinese man Sha Fugang, who fatally stabbed a neighbor during an argument. Weibo

According to a report from Yonhap News on August 9, citing Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, “The suspect in the murder case in Xiping County, Zhumadian City, Henan Province, 51-year-old Sha Fugang, was arrested the previous afternoon.” According to local police, Mr. Sha, who had been renting a house in Xiping County to store miscellaneous items, got into a minor altercation with a neighbor on July 30. During the argument, he wielded a weapon and killed the neighbor, then fled the scene. It has also been reported that several innocent residents were injured during his escape and hiding.

After committing the crime, he hid in the vast cornfields in the area. The corn, which had grown far above an adult’s height, blocked the view and hampered the search operation. Investigative journalist Li Weiao reported that “Local police mobilized 2,000 people, including militiamen and basic-level government officials, to track down the suspect.”

However, as his escape dragged on, unverified rumors began to spread on Chinese social media. Some users speculated that in the past, a tragedy occurred in Xiping County where a family of five died, and that Mr. Sha, who was allegedly beaten by a village gang during a building dispute, committed this act in retaliation, though authorities have denied these claims. Alongside these theories, posts supporting Mr. Sha appeared one after another. Unsubstantiated claims were made that he was a ‘good person’ who had been oppressed by malicious neighbors for a long time, and that wielding the weapon was ‘removing harm for the people.’

One user even urged people not to report him despite a 50,000 yuan (about 10 million won) reward on his head. Some posted photos of bottled water and food placed in the field, saying, “This is for my brother,” and after the news of his capture, there were even calls to fund his legal defense.

However, the accounts of local residents about his escape were different. During his time on the run, he reportedly broke into several houses and stole food, injuring many residents to prevent them from reporting him. Reporter Li Weiao, who has been following the case, commented that Mr. Sha’s actions were extremely brutal, stating, “He is by no means a ‘man who resisted violence.’” Authorities have also issued a warning that “Anyone who harbors the fugitive or fails to report him will be held strictly accountable.”

Some analysts believe that the surge of sympathy before the facts were confirmed stems from accumulated distrust toward rural violence. In 2018, Chinese authorities began a crackdown against village-based violent groups and the officials who protected them, investigating over 97,000 party and public officials up to November 2020. Nevertheless, oppression by violent groups known as ‘village bullies’ has continued in rural areas.

Ming Pao reported, “The fact that the public is projecting the image of a ‘weak person resisting tyranny’ onto the fugitive, and that there are even stories of people secretly helping him escape, is seen as a dangerously strong signal that society does not trust the rule of law.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.