It’s a bizarre case involving murder, online gaming and a weapon that wasn't real.
And it’s put a man in China behind bars for the rest of his life.
The strange tale centres on 41-year-old Qui Chengwei who won a ‘dragon sabre’ playing the online game “Legend of Mir 3” with a friend. The competition involves heroes and villains who wield enormous swords, and getting one of them is considered a major accomplishment.
So when Qiu lent his prize to competitor Zhu Caoyuan for use in a game, he expected to get it back. But Zhu wound up selling it for $870 U.S., infuriating Qui.
The victim went to police in Shanghai, who were stymied. They told him it was impossible to steal something that didn’t really exist and informed him there was little they could do.
Enraged, Qui broke into Zhu’s home and stabbed him in the chest. His injuries proved fatal.
A Chinese court found Qui guilty of murder, and sentenced him to life in prison. But that’s small comfort to the victim’s family, who don’t think justice was done.
"My son was only 26 when he died," an anguished Zhu Huimin cries. "He was sleeping when Qiu broke into his home. He was barely able to put on his pants before Qiu stabbed him. We want Qiu to die, and immediately." He plans to appeal the sentence.
It’s a new twist and it has implications that even the best legal minds were never forced to consider before: can a monetary value be placed on such non-existent items and how can they be assessed?
It’s a question the courts in other lands may well have to ponder, as the popularity of something that doesn’t really exist becomes a virtual reality.
