# Zhou Kehua

Zhou Kehua (simplified Chinese: 周克华; traditional Chinese: 周克華; pinyin: Zhōu Kèhuá, February 6, 1970 – August 14, 2012) was a Chinese arms trafficker and suspected serial killer, believed to be responsible for the Suxiangyu serial murders (Chinese: 苏湘渝系列持枪杀人抢劫案; lit. 'Jiangsu-Hunan-Chongqing series of murders and armed robberies'). He is thought to have murdered and robbed at least 10 people across China from 2004 to 2012, and was classified as an A-level wanted criminal by the Ministry of Public Security until he was killed in a police shootout.

## Early life

Zhou was born in Jingkou Town, Shapingba, Chongqing on February 6, 1970. In 1985, at the age of 15, Zhou was jailed for 14 days on molestation charges. In September 1991, Zhou stole 120 yuan in cash, food stamps, and a shotgun in Shapingba. Two years later, he was arrested and sentenced to 2 years of Re-education through labor for theft and illegal possession of firearms. In 1997, he was arrested again after purchasing an illegal Type 54 pistol near the border of mainland China and Burma in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan, but was released after paying a fine. In 2005, he was jailed again for arms trafficking, and sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Zhou met and married his wife in 1996. The pair opened a minibus service in 2000, but went out of business in late 2001 after a car accident injured several of their passengers. The accident was found to be the result of overloading, leading to the minibus being impounded and Zhou being ordered to pay the passengers' medical expenses and compensation. To avoid paying, Zhou abandoned his wife and ran away from home, reportedly moving to Burma.

## Suxiangyu serial murders

Zhou Kehua is suspected to have killed ten people and robbed millions of yuan in Jiangsu, Hunan and Chongqing between 2004 and 2012. According to police investigators in Changsha, Zhou had been a mercenary soldier in Burma from 2002 to 2004, explaining his familiarity with guns.
Police in Jiangsu, Hunan, and Chongqing have linked Zhou Kehua to the following cases:
* Jiangbei, Chongqing, April 22, 2004: Two women were shot after withdrawing money from a bank in Jiangbei. One was injured and the other, identified as 42-year-old Zhao Zheng, was killed. The assailant stole ¥70,000 RMB in cash from the pair.
* Shapingba, Chongqing, May 16, 2005: A couple were shot, killed, and had their wallets stolen after withdrawing money from a bank in Shapingba. A passing witness was also shot and injured.
* Jiulongpo, Chongqing, March 19, 2009: Han Junliang, an 18-year-old on-duty soldier stationed in Jiulongpo was shot and killed, and the rifle he was carrying was stolen.
* Tianxin, Changsha, October 14, 2009: 56-year-old Li Chengshou was shot and killed while walking through Nanjiao Park in Tianxin.
* Tianxin, Changsha, December 4, 2009: A man, identified as Guo Chaoyun, was shot and killed after exiting a bank on Furong South Road in Tianxin. The assailant stole ¥45,000 RMB in cash from his body.
* Yuhua, Changsha, October 25, 2010: A manager at the Hunan Huancheng Trade Company building in Yuhua was shot, killed, and robbed of his laptop.
* Tianxin, Changsha, June 28, 2011: A 48-year-old man was shot in the waist and head while exiting his car in Tianxin. Though injured, the victim survived.
* Xiaguan, Nanjing, January 6, 2012: Two men were shot after withdrawing money from the Dongmen Street Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Xiaguan. One was injured and the other, identified as 42-year-old Cheng Shengyi, was killed.
* Shapingba, Chongqing, August 10, 2012: At 9:37 am, three people were shot in front of the Bank of China Savings Office in Kangjuyuan, Shapingba. Two were injured and the third, identified as Liao Deying, was killed. The assailant, identified as Zhou Kehua, stole ¥70,000 RMB in cash from the deceased and fled the scene. Later in the day, around 1:00 pm, Zhou shot and killed police officer Zhu Yanchao near Qinjiagang Town. A large-scale manhunt for Zhou ensued across Chongqing in response to the murders.

## Death

After a 4-day long manhunt, Zhou was shot and killed by police on August 14, 2012.

## In media

* A Touch of Sin, a 2013 anthology thriller film written and directed by Jia Zhangke, features a character loosely based on Zhou Kehua.