Wenzhou Didi driver pleads guilty to passenger’s murder

Zhong Yuan, a 28-year-old driver for Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi, has pleaded guilty to the murder and rape of a female passenger in August last year, according to Beijing Youth Daily (in Chinese).

Zhong appeared in court in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou on Jan. 4. The trial was not open to the public and the court has yet to say when its decision will be made public.

The victim, a 20-year-old woman surnamed Zhao, went missing in Wenzhou’s Yueqing County in late August 2018, after hailing a ride on Didi’s Hitch. A friend reported to local authorities that she sent her a message pleading for help. Zhao’s body was found in a mountainous area nearby, and Zhong was arrested by police, later admitting his involvement in the crime.

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