Zhou Youping

Zhou Youping (Chinese: 周友平; 1972 – August 29, 2014) was a Chinese serial killer and former karaoke singer who was convicted of killing six men during erotic sex games in Changsha from October to November 2009. Whilst he claimed the deaths were accidental, Youping was nonetheless convicted, sentenced to death and summarily executed for the crimes.

On August 29, 2014, Chinese state media reported that Zhou Youping had been executed in Changsha; the method of execution was not specified.

Zhou was eventually convicted of the six deaths and sentenced to death by the Changsha Intermediate People's Court on March 29, 2011. He appealed the sentence on the grounds that the victims had hanged themselves voluntarily, and he was thus not directly responsible for their deaths. The Hunan Higher Provincial People's Court were unable to convict him for four of the deaths due to insufficient evidence, but reaffirmed the convictions in two of the cases. The Supreme People's Court upheld the verdicts, finalizing Zhou's death sentence and depriving him of his political rights for life.

Around September 2009, Zhou started posting on various BDSM websites, advertising that he was searching for "slaves". His victims of choice were usually men in their 20s or early 30s from the northern regions, most of which were relatively tall. He would usually meet at them in hotels or guesthouses around Changsha, where they would choke each other with ropes. From October 11 to November 26, six of Zhou's one-night stands were found hanging in their rooms. The similarity of all the deaths (the way the victim had hanged themselves, being naked, etc.) led authorities to believe that none of them were accidental, and they eventually started an inquiry to resolve what exactly had transpired.

On the evening of June 22, 2006, Zhou arranged to meet a man at a hotel in the Kaifu District. When they met, he drugged the man with sedatives, then stole 600 yuan and his mobile phone. Four days later, the man found Zhou and confronted him, with the two engaging in a scuffle which was broken up by authorities. Zhou was subsequently arrested when the policemen learned that he had robbed the victim, and he was subsequently given a 3-year prison sentence and a 5,000 yuan fine. He was paroled for good behavior in August 2008, but ceased singing altogether.

In 1989, he enrolled in an art school in Hunan and joined the Huagu Opera troupe. During his time there, Zhou realized that he was gay, initially struggling with his sexuality as he feared his parents would disown him, but it is unclear if that ever occurred.

Zhou Youping was born in a small town in Xiangxiang in 1972, the second brother in a family with three children. From an early age, he developed an interest in singing from his father, who was reported to be a capable singer. From an early age, Zhou was described as handsome, was constantly surrounded by girls and a top student in his town.