The Couple Who Tried To Start A New Life Together By Murdering Two Children

A couple recently left many horrified by the violence they committed against two children met their fate.

A Chinese man named Zhang Bo began an affair with a woman named Ye Chengchen, eventually divorcing his wife in 2020 so that the two could be together.

Ye Chencheng (left) and Zhang Bo (right) | Weibo

However, Ye Chengchen was still not satisfied with the situation, due to Zhang Bo’s two children from his marriage. According to China’s Supreme Court, Ye saw the two children as a “burden on their future together” and an obstacle to them getting married.

Zhang Bo’s children. | Weibo

Instead of abandoning the children with their mother, Ye allegedly pressured Zhang into murdering the two children through threats of self-harm. In November 2020, Zhang threw his one-year-old and two-year-old from the fifteenth floor of a high-rise apartment in Chongqing.

The couple then acted as though it was an accident, claiming that they fell while Zhang was asleep. Videos from the incident show Zhang sobbing after committing the crime.

The apartments where the incident took place. | Weibo | Weibo

Due to the suspicious nature of the incident it was quickly deduced that the pair were involved, and evidence of their plans was later found on Ye’s phone. A trial found the pair guilty and sentenced them to death in December 2021.

The children’s mother, Chen Meilin, shared that Zhang repeatedly wrote to her asking for forgiveness as the two tried appealing their death sentences. Chen answered these letters by saying that she would never forgive him and that she “must see you die at all costs.”

Chen Meilin showing letters sent by Zhang Bo. | Weibo

The best way for you and Ye to atone for your crime is to accept the sentence of the first trial, and die quietly. […] If people who committed such an atrocious crime don’t receive the death sentence, no child will be safe anymore.

— Chen Meilin in a reply to one of Zhang’s letters

In late January, the couple’s executions took place, likely by lethal injection or firing squad, ending what Chen called a “nightmare.”

A nightmare that tortured our family for more than three years has finally disappeared.

— Chen Meilin

While the two children who suffered at the hands of this couple cannot be brought back, the couple’s punishment has given Chen some peace.