In Depth: Verdict Reversal in High-Profile Murder Stands Out Amid Exoneration Trend

Photos showing Chang Linfeng lifting his deformed hands in March 2013 (left), which were in a relatively good condition in 2007 (right) just after he was detained.

Since Chang Linfeng’s wife died in a fire 15 years ago, the Henan province man has been found guilty of intentional homicide and arson, had those convictions overturned, and then found guilty of the same crimes at the end of last year.

The case was gruesome. Around 5 a.m. on May 16, 2007, Beijing’s fire department found the charred corpse of woman lying on her back in the makeshift mahjong room of a university faculty dorm at the Central University of Finance and Economics. A fire had been reported earlier. The victim, who last name was Ma, was a 42-year-old teacher who lived there with her then-43-year-old husband, Chang.