His case attracted some sympathy within China and raised inequality issues.
Born in a poor family in Gansu, Wang Binyu went to work at a factory in the neighbouring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Wang Binyu needed money to pay for an operation for his father; both education and medical care are currently charged for in China.
While trying to force the subcontractor to pay him, Wang got into a fight with some co-workers and killed four people.
In a jailhouse, Mr. Wang said that he wanted to die so that he could no longer be exploited, and expressed remorse for his murders.