Three minors are potentially facing the death penalty for their involvement in the fatal beating of their 13-year-old classmate.

Three children in China, under the age of 14 at the time of the incident, are facing the death penalty for allegedly beating their 13-year-old classmate to death in Hebei province last month.

The victim, identified only as Wang, was reportedly subjected to prolonged bullying by the suspects before the fatal attack occurred.

‘He was beaten alive and his body was disfigured beyond recognition,’ Wang’s father wrote on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform. ‘I hope the government will be fair, open and just, punish them severely, and that the killers will pay with their lives.’

Surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the death of a 13-year-old boy on March 10, showing him seated on a scooter surrounded by three classmates. An hour later, his phone ceased functioning, prompting a search by his relatives.

The subsequent day, police made a disturbing discovery: the boy’s body, concealed under a tarp in an abandoned vegetable greenhouse. Identified only by his last name, Wang, authorities in Feixiang district of Handan city revealed in a statement on March 17 that he had been killed on March 10, and the suspects were detained the following day.

A police investigator disclosed to state broadcaster CCTV on March 18 that the crime had been premeditated, with the suspects excavating a pit twice—once the day prior and again on the day of the killing.

According to interviews with Chinese media and social media posts from Wang’s relatives and their attorney, the boy had long been subjected to bullying and was coerced into giving money to one of his classmates before his death. After reviewing surveillance footage and interrogating the classmates, police identified the suspected perpetrators.

The provincial prosecutor recently announced that it had received a police request last month to criminally try the suspects, identified as Zhang, Li, and Ma. It concluded that the trio, aged between 12 and 14 at the time, deliberately committed murder, resulting in Wang’s death.

‘The circumstances were serious and they should be held criminally responsible,’ the provincial office said, adding that the country’s top public prosecutor had reviewed the decision.

‘While handling cases strictly in accordance with the law, the procuratorial organs will… further strengthen the prevention and treatment of juvenile crimes,’ the provincial prosecutor continued.

According to Chinese law, murder carries penalties ranging from imprisonment to the death penalty.

Zhang Dongshuo, a defense attorney in Beijing not involved in the case, highlighted Wang’s death as the latest in a string of juvenile murder incidents in China.

These cases have ignited discussions regarding the age at which a child should be deemed responsible for criminal actions.