Bio

Fu Hegong was born around 1974 in Miyun County, a suburban area of Beijing, China. He was born into a peasant family. Before the murders that made him nationally known, Fu had a criminal history involving theft. In 1996, he was sentenced to seven years in prison in Hebei Province for theft. He was released in 2001 before the end of the full sentence.

After his release, Fu continued committing crimes. Chinese news reports later stated that he confessed to 16 other crimes in addition to the Beijing kindergarten murders. These included earlier murders, robberies, thefts, rape, and molestation.

Fu was unemployed at the time of the 2004 kindergarten attack. Reports identified him as being from Miyun District in suburban Beijing. His known murder series involved robbery-related crimes, sexual violence, and attacks on victims who discovered or confronted him.

The case became widely known in China because two of the victims were killed inside a kindergarten, including a five-year-old child. The attack happened during a period when China was dealing with several unrelated attacks on schools and children, which increased public attention and concern.

Murder Story

Fu Hegong’s known murder series began in 2002. Court reports later stated that he killed two people that year with bricks and knives after quarrelling with them. The names, ages, and exact dates of those two victims were not publicly confirmed in the accessible reports reviewed.

On August 25, 2004, Fu committed another robbery-related killing. Prosecutors said he robbed a company of computers and killed a watchman surnamed Deng. Reports state that Deng was stabbed during the robbery.

The crime that made Fu nationally known happened in Beijing on October 21, 2004. During the early hours of the morning, Fu entered Beixin or Beixinqiao Kindergarten in Dongcheng District, Beijing, intending to steal items from the school. Reports stated that the property targeted included DVD and VCD players.

Inside the kindergarten, Fu was discovered by 44-year-old nursery attendant He Yufen. He attacked her, raped her, and killed her by smothering her with a quilt. Some early reports also stated that she had been struck on the head.

The noise woke a five-year-old boy who was also inside the kindergarten. Fu then killed the child. Court reports said the boy was fatally beaten with a fire extinguisher.

The bodies of He Yufen and the boy were found at around 6:00 a.m. on October 21, 2004. Seven teachers and four children had reportedly spent the night at the kindergarten.

Police began searching for the suspect immediately. Fu Hegong was arrested at a hotel in Beijing about two days after the kindergarten killings, on October 23, 2004. Police said he confessed to the robbery and murders.

The No. 2 branch of the Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate later approved his arrest for robbery and murder. As the investigation continued, authorities connected Fu to additional crimes, including the killing of the watchman surnamed Deng and earlier murders committed in 2002.

Fu was tried before the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. On September 9, 2005, he was convicted of murder, theft, rape, and molestation. He was sentenced to death. Reports stated that he refused to repent when sentenced.

Fu did not appeal the death sentence. On December 20, 2005, he was executed in Beijing. Before the execution, he reportedly said he felt sorry for his mother but did not express regret to the families of his victims.