A Quannenshen member has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of exorcism.
Jiangsu's highest court sentenced a member of the cult, "Church of Almighty God", to life imprisonment, reported web portal Legal Daily on Thursday.
The woman was identified as Xu Fang who was found guilty after she performed a so called exorcism on her daughter's classmate. Xu strangled the victim surnamed Guan to death, thinking that the young lady was possessed by an evil spirit.
The victim, Guan, was staying with Xu and her family. She believed that the young woman was possessed and that her so-called act of exorcism could help Guan's mental state.
The Supreme People's Court of Jiangsu also imposed a fine of US$3,680 after being found guilty for the crime of intentional homicide. Xu, along with her son and daughter, hit Guan's head using a chair and strangled the victim to death on January 30, 2013.
Xu was named by the court as the principal suspect in Guan's death.
According to the report, Quannenshen has been named one of the most dangerous cult organizations in China. The report added that the group has been engaging in violence after coercing people to join their organization. Furthermore, the group is on the lookout for those who are less educated and have weak faith and manipulates them into doing illegal activities, the report said.
The entire country was left in shock last month after a woman in Zhaoyuan was beaten to death by six men who are members of the same cult. The men beat the woman to death after she declined to join the organization.
Xinhua reported the arrest of the primary suspects who showed no remorse for their violent act.
The Church of Almighty God or Quannenshen was first known in the 90s in Henan. The cult claimed that Jesus was resurrected in the form of their founder's wife Yang Xiangbin. In 2000, founder Zhao Weishan and his wife fled to the US.