Peter Fang - Toronto - Did he commit justifiable homicide?

Peter Fang, age 26, has been convicted of second degree murder in the killing of his father, William Cheng, age 52.

Peter Fang

The killing occurred in Toronto on December 2, 2010.  

Peter Fang shot his father in the back with a crossbow in a public library and to make sure his father was dead Peter smashed his father's skull with a hammer. He did this in front of children and innocent bystanders. 

Peter was living in Ottawa at the time and made a special effort to get to Toronto to kill his father. 

William Cheng - murdered

Peter has been convicted of second degree murder in Canada and will be eligible for parole in 10 years. He will be 36 when he can get out of prison. 

Murder is not justifiable under any terms.  However, leniency is. 

Peter Fang's family history is this:

Peter Fang was the victim of deprivation, beatings and psychological torture from the time he was a baby. A senior forensic psychiatrist who assessed Peter described the abuse as one of the worst child abuse cases he had ever seen.

William Cheng, the father, had two domestic violence convictions involving his family. They had obtained a restraining order against him, and even went into hiding after the couple separated in 2002.

Peter was arrested near the crime scene and made no effort to conceal his actions, which all acknowledged were spurred by a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse directed at himself and his mother, Nora Fang. Mr. Cheng’s reign of terror began in mainland China, before the small family immigrated to Canada, and lasted more than 15 years until the marriage ended in 2002.

The abuse had encompassed beatings, sexual violence and unusual cruelty. Among many other things, the father had poured urine on his son, forced him to eat vomit and ripped the head off the child’s pet bird.

He once beat his wife so badly she was temporarily blinded and had to quit her job as a teacher. 

Another time he cut out the tongue of a live rabbit to show his wife and son what he was capable of and threatened that if they spoke to the authorities, that he would do the same to them. 

Bernadette of Lourdes,
pray for Peter and
for all who suffer
from abuse
by their own parents.

Even after fleeing their tormentor, Peter Fang and his mother were in daily fear of Mr. Cheng.  Peter thought he glimpsed his father several times in Ottawa and they became so certain they were going to be killed they began wearing bulletproof vests.

At one point Mr. Fang even wrote to Governor General David Johnston, pleading that his father be deported back to China.

Peter said he murdered his father because he was totally convinced he and mother were going to be murdered if he did not act.

And we believe him.  There is only so much household terrorism that a person can take without going over the edge. 

God help all who are abused by their father or their mother.  They are tortured by the people who should most love them.  They have been forsaken. Amen.

God help us.  Amen.