Chinese killer who played mute for 12 years loses power of speech

BEIJING: A Chinese murderer who pretended to be a mute in an attempt to conceal his past ended up losing the power of speech for real, a local newspaper reported.

The man surnamed Zeng left his village in the eastern province of Zhejiang in 2005 after killing his wife’s uncle following a rent dispute over 500 yuan ($76), the Zhejiang Daily reported Friday.