Tongzhou 16-year-old murderer accused of cat abuse by schoolmates and neighbor

Murderer and alleged animal abuser
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Name	Zhang (张某)
Age	16 (at time of murder)
Occupation	Student
Known Identifiers	—
Status	Suspect (Criminally detained)
Involvement	Accused of murdering his two neighbors, beating his mother unconscious, and subsequently assaulting a female classmate and two teachers at his high school, RDFZ Tongzhou Campus. He is also alleged by schoolmates and neighbors to have a history of animal cruelty, specifically abusing and dismembering cats.
Punitive Measure	—

People's Daily reported the case on Weibo.

The Tongzhou 16-year-old student homicide and assault case is a violent crime incident that occurred in Tongzhou District, Beijing, in May 2023. The case involves a 16-year-old male student, identified as Zhang (张某), from the RDFZ Tongzhou Campus (人大附中通州校區), who, over a two-day period, allegedly murdered two neighbors, beat his mother into a coma, and then went to school and assaulted a classmate and two teachers. Following his arrest, numerous accounts from his schoolmates and neighbors emerged, alleging that he had a history of disturbing behavior, including severe animal cruelty.

• Weixin chats and online comments accused Zhang of animal abuse.
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Background and family

According to one media report, Zhang was from a single-parent family and lived with his mother, Cao (曹某). His parents were divorced, and his father was suspected of having a mental illness. His mother's high-pressure parenting style, combined with the lack of a father figure, was suggested to have contributed to his developing personality issues. Although he was initially an excellent student who gained admission to a key high school, his grades later declined as his psychological problems reportedly worsened.

Timeline of events

May 14: The murders

On the evening of May 14, 2023, Zhang allegedly killed his neighbors, a married couple identified as Mr. Jiao (60) and Ms. Wang (55), in their home. Accounts of the motive differ. One report states the attack was triggered after Zhang overheard the couple discussing his "weird" personality. Another report claims that Zhang first had a quarrel with his mother, and the neighboring couple was killed when they came out to mediate.

May 15: Attacks on mother and at school

Chat messages between students, right after the attacks at the school.

On the morning of May 15, after the murders, Zhang attacked his mother, Cao (51), beating her into a coma. Reports conflict on the sequence of events; one states he attacked her after she tried to persuade him to turn himself in, while another claims he beat her after the argument that led to the neighbors' deaths.

He then proceeded to school with multiple concealed weapons. During class, following an argument, Zhang attacked a 17-year-old female classmate with a blunt object, striking her in the head and chasing her. He injured the class teacher, Mr. Tun (43), who tried to intervene. When the school's vice principal, Mr. Gao (53), arrived to de-escalate the situation, Zhang attacked him with another weapon, causing severe injuries that required treatment in an ICU. Zhang was eventually subdued by other teachers and students and was taken into police custody.

Background and warning signs

Zhang drew eerie drawings on his chemistry test paper.

According to multiple accounts from his classmates, Zhang was known to be withdrawn, eccentric, and had few friends. He had a history of disturbing behavior at school, including an incident where he wrapped tape around a classmate's neck and had made threats to "burn the classroom down." His schoolwork was reportedly often incomplete, and his notebooks and test papers were filled with violent and disturbing doodles depicting monsters, weapons, and people being attacked.

Allegations of animal cruelty

A supposed school graduate alleged Zhang abused cats and female classmates.

Following the incident, multiple classmates came forward alleging that Zhang had a history of animal cruelty, specifically against cats. These accounts, primarily circulated through online chat logs, claimed that he was a member of an online cat abuse group and had previously dismembered cats. One neighbor specifically alleged he had "cruelly chopped off a cat's four limbs." Some comments suggested he was a fan of the notorious animal abuser 杰克辣条. According to one classmate's chat log, after attacking the people at school, Zhang lay on the ground and calmly listened to music.