MGM Cotai Double-Murder Suspect Arrested in Mainland China

May 19, 2022 China Crime & Legal

A man suspected of strangling to death two women in a hotel room at the MGM Cotai in Macau May 5 has been arrested in China’s Hunan province.

The 34-year-old suspect, named only as Zhao, was identified quickly by Macau police following the grisly discovery of the women’s bodies. But they discovered that he had fled to the mainland the morning after the killings. He crossed the Border Gate into Zhuhai at around 7:30 am on May 6, authorities said.

A manhunt operation involving more than 700 mainland Chinese police officers tracked Zhao to Hongjiang City in Hunan, a mountainous province in the south of the country. Police offered a reward of 50,000 yuan (US$7,400) for information leading to Zhao’s capture, splashing his face across social media, and were reportedly rewarded with a tip-off.

Skilled in Deception
Authorities have supplied little additional information about Zhao, other than that he is believed to be from Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, which borders Russia. Police said he was skilled in deception and in disguising his movements.

Unnamed sources who spoke to The Hong Kong Standard said he has a criminal record, “including picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”