In Guangxi, China, a group of hitmen were imprisoned after repeatedly attempting to subcontract a job to each other. The question is, how did this all start in the first place and what was the result of this seemingly complicated task?
A Chinese businessman hired a hitman to kill his competition. However, the hitman hired another man to do the job, resulting in a five-man chain of bumbling subcontractors. The plan fell apart when the final hitman met the man, only known as Wei and suggested faking his death.
Hitman for Hire and Subcontractors
A network of assassins in China was charged with intentional homicide five times after attempting to outsource a contracted murder.
According to a court release, the five hitmen and the businessman accused of originally contracting the murder were sentenced to prison on October 17 at the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court in China’s southern Guangxi province.
The story of the subcontracted hitmen begins with a professional dispute in 2013, when Mr. Wei filed a lawsuit against Tan’s firm, according to the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court’s website.
According to the court, Tan Youhui, a real estate developer, hired the first hitman, Xi Guangan, in October 2013 to kill his competitor, Wei Mou. According to the court document, the businessman offered the hitman 2 million Chinese yuan or $282,600 in today’s dollars for the job.
However, Mo contacted another man, Yang Kangsheng, who agreed to carry out the killing for a fee of 270,000 up front, with another 500,000 to be paid later.
Yang Kangsheng then offered another hitman, Yang Guangsheng, 200,000 to assassinate Mr. Wei, with a bonus of 500,000 if the job was completed successfully.
Yang Kangsheng is accused of offering a similar deal to Yang Guasheng, a fourth hitman, paying him 200,000 yuan up front and an additional 500,000 yuan after the job was completed.
According to reports, the fourth hitman hired the fifth and final hitman, Ling Xiansi, who agreed to do the job for 100,000 yuan. Instead of carrying out the murder, Ling approached Wei and informed him of the target on his back, offering the opportunity to fake Wei’s death rather than killing him. (Source: Mothership)
The Fifth and the Final Hitman
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the fifth hitman assisted Wei in staging his death. Wei was bound and gagged in photos, which Ling sent to his employer. Tan, the original client, was informed via a chain of subcontractors.
Ling, the last hitman in a chain of creative outsourcing, believed that 100,000 yuan was insufficient compensation for killing someone and getting his hands dirty.
Instead, he decided to contact Wei and persuade him to fake his death so that Ling could receive his reward without resorting to murder.
Perhaps the only rational person in this situation, Wei decided to notify the authorities – because he could die otherwise.
Tan and the five hitmen were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years and seven months to five years for their roles in the murder attempt. (Source: Mothership)
Image from BBC