BAI Baoshan

Described in official dispatches as China’s most prolific serial killer to date, with 15 known victims (comparedto 13 for LI WENXIAN), Bai Baoshan apparently committedhis first murder in the early 1980s, during a poorly planned holdup. Convicted of murder and robbery in that case, he served 13 years in prison and emerged with a brooding desire for revenge against society at large.

Bai’s payback rampage began in March 1996, when he attacked a police sentry in Beijing and stole a semiautomatic weapon, later used to kill one person and wound six others (including four patrolmen). Authorities believe he also robbed and killed a Beijing cigarette vendor before leaving town and traveling to the northern Chinese province of Hebei. There, Bai killed another policeman and stole his automatic rifle, moving on to Urümqi, the capital of Xinjiang province. In Urümqi, authorities say Bai and two accomplices murdered 10 persons—including police officers, security guards, and civilians—while stealing 1.5 million yuan
(about $180,000). Unhappy with the prospect of sharing his loot, Bai killed one of his cohorts and kept all
the money for himself. By that time, Bai had earned the dubious honor of being labeled China’s “Public Enemy No. 1.”

Returning to Beijing in October 1997, the 39-yearold gunman was traced by police and arrested on October
16, charged with 14 homicides and various related felonies. A local newspaper reported his confession, and he was returned to Xinjiang province for trial, where most of his victims were slain. Convicted on all counts and sentenced to death, Bai Baoshan was executed on May 6, 1998.