Nanny in Hangzhou fatal arson case given death sentence

Mo Huanjing, a nanny accused of setting a fire that caused the deaths of her female employer and the employer's three children, has received a death sentence from Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court, Zhejiang province.

The court ruled that Mo should not be given leniency as her action was too despicable and led to serious consequences. 

Mo Huanjing stands trial at Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Feb. 1, 2018, on suspicion of setting a fire which led to the deaths of four people. [Photo: China Daily]

A trial was held on February 1 after a hearing was suspended on December 22, when her previous defense lawyer Dang Linshan walked out after failing to have the hearing moved to another court.

Mo is accused of setting the apartment on fire in Shangcheng District in Hangzhou on June 22, leading to the death of Zhu Xiaozhen and Zhu's three children aged 6, 8 and 11.

According to an indictment, Mo Huanjing had been heavily indebted due to her addiction to gambling and had been stealing valuables from her employer. It also said Mo deliberately set fire to the apartment in order to fabricate a scene of her putting out the fire so that she could gain the employer's gratitude, hoping to ultimately borrow more money from the employer. 

Mo expressed her remorse after initial hearings, saying she didn't mean to hurt the victims and was deeply sorry. She pleaded guilty in the hope of getting a lighter sentence.

Mo was reportedly fired three times between 2015 and 2016 for theft from her former employers.