He was discovered by police in Guigang in eastern Guangxi after his school reported his disappearance, and received a disciplinary punishment upon his return.

Ma said that he killed them because his roommates, who came from wealthier families, had accused him of cheating in a card game, and had bullied him regarding his plans for the Lunar New Year holiday.

On March 15 he was captured in Sanya, in South China's Hainan Province, 900 kilometres (560 mi) southeast of the crime scene.

[1][6][5] The Intermediate People's Court of Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province sentenced Ma Jiajue to death on April 24.

[1] In 2004, Xinhua stated: "The murder case has attracted nationwide attention, with experts and ordinary people heatedly discussing how a college student could choose to kill his young schoolmates.