A man has received the death penalty for murdering a county head, four of his relatives and a nursemaid in southwest China's Guizhou Province last year, under a local court ruling handed down on Thursday.

Cao Hui, 43, a native of Xingren County, Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, was convicted of murdering Wen Jiangang, former magistrate of Xingren County, his wife, son, mother-in-law, sister and nursemaid on Nov. 27 last year, and stealing 13,000 yuan (1,700 U.S. dollars) and a cell phone, according to the intermediate people's court in the prefecture.

He said he broke into Wen's home at about 10:00 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2006 and killed five adults with a dagger and hammer. He later killed Wen's 5-year-old son when he realized the boy had been awakened by the noise Cao made while searching the house for valuables.

On Sept. 3 last year, Cao also robbed a villager named Luo Kun in the county of 200 yuan and a cell phone.

The court said Cao had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1980s. His sentence was commuted for good behavior in prison, and he was released in May 2000. Between then and his arrest in December 2006, he worked at a club in Xingyi City, Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

The court also ordered Cao to pay 39,000 yuan in compensation.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2007)