Zhou Kaixuan, a postgraduate at the Chinese Academy of Sciences who stabbed his high school classmate, was tried at the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People’s Court, Aug 30, 2019. [Photo/Official Sina Weibo account of chinacourt.org]

A man who stabbed to death his high school classmate, who was a postgraduate at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing about a year ago was sentenced to death on Friday.

The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court pronounced the capital punishment sentence to Zhou Kaixuan for the crime of intentional homicide after it heard the case on May 24.

According to the ruling, Zhou and the victim, Xie Diao, were classmates in a Chongqing high school. They quarreled when attending a class reunion party in their hometown in January 2016.

Due to the grudge, Zhou killed Xie in Beijing in June last year by stabbing Xie in the back and chest with a knife he'd been carrying. "Although the defendant turned himself over to police, we didn't decide to leniently penalize him for his extremely cruel behaviors," the court added in the ruling.

Wang Zhiyuan, Zhou's lawyer, said he will ask his client whether to appeal to a higher court, as Zhou did not show any emotion after the judgment was announced.

Standing behind Zhou in the courtroom's public gallery, Xie's mother began crying when she heard the sentence. Xie's father, Xie Zhonghua, told China Daily that he and his wife were satisfied with the ruling, even though their son will never come back.

"The judgment was made in line with the law, and Zhou deserved such a penalty," Xie Zhonghua said. Last year he took to the streets and publicized the case to get justice in the city. "So far, Zhou has not apologized to our child, let alone our family," he said.

If Zhou does not appeal to a higher court, his death penalty sentence will be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for a review under the Chinese Criminal Procedure Law.

Chinese media reported Xie and Zhou had known each other for many years and shared the same dormitory when they were in high school in Chongqing. Unlike Xie, who studied hard since graduation, Zhou failed in his studies due to his addiction to online games. While Zhou felt frustrated in study and life, Xie became a postgraduate at the academy. The reports also said Zhou argued with Xie during a role-playing game, Werewolf, at their class reunion party at the beginning of 2016. Zhou told police that Xie insulted him, but that was not verified by those who also attended the party.

During the trial in May, Zhou's lawyer said his client did kill Xie but he suffered from mental issues triggered by Xie's insults. But after a mental health examination, it was determined that Zhou has a neurosis but that did not affect his ability to know the difference between right or wrong.