Four brothers who killed a person in a holdup with homemade guns last month were given death penalties Thursday in south China's Guangdong Province.
Only the eldest brother, 39-year-old Chen Jiafang, had his death sentence suspended for two years.
Chen Jiafang and his three younger brothers, 22-year-old Chen Xianfang, 31-year-old Chen Duofang and 37-year-old Chen Zhenfang, first tried to rob a bank in Wuchuan City on Jan. 13 while carrying homemade guns, but failed as bank clerks set off the alarm.
They escaped after firing three shots towards the counter.
Two days later, they followed a cashier, who had just withdrawn money from a bank, to a tobacco company where they killed one person and injured five before getting away with 250,000 yuan (US$30, 120).
The brothers were charged with murder, robbery and illegally owning weapons and ammunition.
The sentence handed down by the Zhanjiang City Intermediate People's Court was their final appeal judgment after they were denied further appeal by the Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court.
The first trial was held at the Zhanjiang City Intermediate People's Court on Feb. 11.
(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2003)
