Authorities have revealed that a court in Shenzhen, southern China, has condemned a mother who accidentally killed her daughter during a home exorcism that she thought was good to a suspended prison sentence. The mother, whose surname is Li, and her elder daughter were sentenced to three years imprisonment in July 2025 but the sentence was suspended for four years after they were found guilty of negligent homicide. The case began with an incident in December 2025 when Li’s youngest daughter began to claim that evil spirits were occupying her. The mother and the elder daughter, who were sure that the supernatural forces were attacking them, tried to do a rite that was meant to drive away the supposed demons by pressing the victim’s chest hard and pouring water into her throat to make her vomit, and these actions led to her death tragically.
What Actually Happened?
The court records and the reports of the investigation revealed that this family had been totally overtaken by the supernatural beliefs of telepathy and possession, and were even claiming that the soul of their youngest member had been taken over by some unknown entities. The one who had been subjected to the ritual, meanwhile, was very vocal about the session being effective and even persuaded her mother and sister to go on with it, although the harmful act was creeping up on her. By the next day, the girl was found dead with her mouth bleeding, and the paramedics declared her dead shortly after. The court accepted that Li and her older daughter did not plan to harm the younger one, but concluded that their irresponsible behavior was the direct cause of her death, which was classified as negligent homicide.
Chinese Ritual Horror
The case has provoked very strong responses on Chinese social media, where a lot of users have denounced the incident as ‘horrific and absurd’ and have suggested public education in science and critical thinking as the only way to overcome such barriers. Concern has been expressed by many that the misunderstandings about possession and evil spirits are so deeply rooted in the society that they could even cause fatal outcomes unintentionally when the benevolent intention of family members is to help the sick.
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