Wu Xieyu, a former Peking University student who confessed to killing his mother in 2015, will be sentenced on Thursday morning at the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court in East China's Fujian Province, according to media reports.

Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court (Photo: CFP)

On July 10, 2015, the 26-year-old took the life of his mother at their home in Fuzhou city. After the crime, he defrauded relatives and family friends of 1.44 million yuan ($215,000) and avoided police for more than three years.

Wu Xieyu (File photo: agencies)

He was arrested at the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in April 2019 and was tried on December 24, 2020 for murder, swindling and buying identity cards. No verdict was reached.

The case shocked society, as more details emerged on the darker side of the once star student's personality. It also led to many calling for more attention to be paid to the mental health of college students.