Between 2000 and 2003, Yang Xinhai brutally murdered 67 people and raped 23 women while traveling through China on a bicycle, earning the nickname "Monster Killer."
Cangzhou Police DepartmentNicknamed the “Monster Killer,” Yang Xinhai confessed to 67 murders across China.
On Feb. 14, 2004, 35-year-old Yang Xinhai was executed in China. Known as the “Monster Killer,” Xinhai had murdered at least 67 people and raped nearly two dozen women between 2000 and 2003.
During his grisly killing spree, Xinhai managed to throw off the police by disposing of his clothing and weapons after each murder. He also wore shoes that were too large for him so that his actual footprints couldn’t be tracked and the physical profile investigators formed of him would be inaccurate.
These methods worked until November 2003, when Xinhai was brought in for questioning after the police noticed he was acting suspiciously during a routine inspection of an entertainment venue. He ultimately confessed to his horrific crimes, and he was sentenced to death.
Even today, the Monster Killer’s true motives are a topic of debate. Did a bad breakup send him over the edge? Did he murder entire families so he wouldn’t be caught for his robberies and rapes? Or did Yang Xinhai simply enjoy killing?
The Early Life Of China’s Infamous ‘Monster Killer’
Yang Xinhai was born in 1968 in Henan province, one of the poorest areas in China. He was the youngest of four children in a struggling family that had very few resources. His teachers described him as bright but extremely withdrawn. Though his home life was rough, there were no early signs of what he’d eventually become.
At 17, Xinhai dropped out of school and never returned. He left his village and began drifting across the country, picking up work as a laborer. While others his age were building careers or starting families, Xinhai was sleeping at factories and construction sites. He never stayed in one place for long.
YouTubeYang Xinhai killed at least 67 people between 2000 and 2003.
Xinhai spent much of his down time writing. He filled up pages of cheap notebooks with stories about murder and fictional locations, particularly a place called “Plato Flats.” In his notes, there were rough outlines for horror films, strange symbols, and creepy short stories. Family members noticed that he was almost obsessed with this imaginary world and the violent ideas that lived inside it.
Over time, Xinhai became elusive. He didn’t keep in touch with relatives, and very few people knew where he was living or working. He bounced between provinces, staying invisible in a country of over one billion people. No one imagined that this quiet drifter would soon be at the center of the worst killing spree in modern Chinese history.
Yang Xinhai Begins His Grisly Killing Spree
Long before he became the Monster Killer, Yang Xinhai was committing petty crimes. He was sent to labor camps after being convicted of theft in both 1988 and 1991. Then, in 1996, he was found guilty of attempted rape, this time serving a three-year sentence. He was released in 1999 — just months before his killing spree began.
It’s unclear where exactly Yang Xinhai’s first murders took place, but they may have occurred in Fuyang, where three people were reportedly killed in the winter of 2000. Xinhai typically targeted farmers living in remote areas, attacking late at night and often murdering entire families.
His crimes were horrifying and violent, as he used tools like hammers, shovels, and axes to bludgeon people to death. Xinhai chose homes at random and spared nobody he found inside, from children to the elderly. There was no clear motive and no link between the victims.
In the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 2002, Xinhai used a hammer to murder five members of the Liu family in Liuzhuang Village, as reported by China Daily in 2004. Liu Zhanwei and his wife, mother, son, and daughter were all viciously attacked in their home. The only survivor was 68-year-old Liu Zhongyuan, Zhanwei’s father, who had been sleeping in a newly built home nearby.
YouTubeOne of Yang Xinhai’s blood-soaked crime scenes.
“We were supposed to move into the new house on Dec. 9,” Zhongyuan lamented. “Who could have imagined such a tragedy would strike just three days earlier?” After killing the family, Xinhai buried the hammer in a nearby cemetery and tossed his bloody clothes into a river.
Xinhai always took such steps to avoid detection. He wore new clothes to each crime scene and shoes several sizes too large, deliberately misleading investigators. He also made sure to leave the houses quickly after carrying out his crimes, and he never lingered in the same town. His ability to blend in made it even harder for police to trace him.
He had no fixed address, no stable job, and no close relationships. This made it nearly impossible for authorities to track his movements. For three years, Xinhai remained a ghost, even as his victim count continued to rise.
Then, he was captured — completely by accident.
How Chinese Authorities Brought Yang Xinhai’s Life Of Crime To An End
By 2003, Yang Xinhai’s crimes had entire villages living in fear. Parents even began guarding their homes at night with makeshift weapons. Then, it all came to an end.
According to a November 2003 article by the BBC, police officers were carrying out a routine inspection of an entertainment venue in Cangzhou on Nov. 3, 2003, when they noticed a man acting strangely.
It was Yang Xinhai. They brought him in for questioning and only then realized that he was wanted for murder in four provinces.
Once he was in custody, the Monster Killer confessed calmly and without resistance. He gave chilling details of his crimes, and DNA evidence linked him to several of the murder scenes, confirming his admissions.
The Beijing NewsThe front page of The Beijing News on Feb. 2, 2004, the day after Yang Xinhai was sentenced to death.
The reasons behind Xinhai’s senseless killing spree are still unknown. Some believe he was driven by anger after a failed relationship, while others claim he simply murdered for sport. According to China Daily, one policeman said, “He committed crimes merely to hurt society.”
Yang Xinhai himself offered a cryptic explanation, as reported by the BBC on the day of his execution in 2004: “When I killed people I had a desire. This inspired me to kill more. I don’t care whether they deserve to live or not. It is none of my concern… Society is not my concern.”
Xinhai’s trial was held behind closed doors and lasted just one hour. He did not contest the charges or seek mercy from the judge. He accepted his fate, saying he had no intention of being part of society anyway.
The Monster Killer was convicted based on overwhelming evidence, including DNA matches and his own confession. Authorities suspect he may have committed even more crimes than he admitted to, although the official count is 67 murders and 23 rapes. At the age of 35, he was sentenced to death.
On Feb. 14, 2004, Yang Xinhai was executed by gunshot, ending the reign of one of China’s most notorious criminals. Some say he acted out of rage. Others believe he murdered for pleasure. But like many serial killers, he offered no real explanation — only that he wanted to kill, so he did.
After learning about the grisly crimes of Yang Xinhai, read about Richard Ramirez, the infamous “Night Stalker” killer. Then, discover the story of the world’s youngest serial killer, Amarjeet Sada.
