Beijing, Aug 20 (IANS): A 46-year-old Chinese man was Monday sentenced to death for an arson attack at his girlfriend's family's home that killed 11 people earlier this year.
A people's court in Nanping, Fujian province, convicted Liu Quanshun of arson, and ordered him to pay four million yuan (around $630,000) as compensation, Xinhua reported.
Liu met his girlfriend surnamed Li in a casino in Nanping in 2009.
Even though the woman was married to another man, the two moved in together.
When Li's father and husband found out and went to confront the couple, the woman claimed she was raped by Liu and filed a complaint with the police.
Liu, after being interrogated by police, blackmailed Li's family.
When his demand was not met, he poured fuel on the family's brick-and-wood house one night in January, and set it on fire. Li's parents and 10 other people died in the blaze. Liu fled the scene but was arrested within hours.