REST IN PEACE: People in Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province, on June 1 pay their respects at the McDonald's where Wu Shuoyan was killed by members of a cult (CFP)

On May 28, citizens all across China were shaken to their cores when Wu Shuoyan, a 35-year-old woman, was beaten to death in public by six people at a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan, east China's Shandong Province. Their motive, according to the original online news report, was because one of the six asked Wu for her phone number but she refused.

As one of the group responsible for Wu's murder drove a luxury Porsche Cayenne, at first, many thought it would be a clichéd tale of a rich man being refused what he wanted and then overreacting.

However, video footage of the incident showed that something else was afoot. It was a young woman in the group that went to ask for Wu's phone number, and when Wu refused, she responded by attacking Wu with a chair. The other five soon joined in, brandishing other blunt objects, while calling Wu a "devil," and "evil spirit."

The violence lasted for three minutes before the police made it to the scene. Wu was sent to hospital and passed away 20 minutes after arriving. The six perpetrators were detained and confessed to the police that they belonged to a cult officially known as Quannengshen Jiaohui, which means "the Church of the Almighty God," though they are also known as Dongfangshandian—Eastern Lightning.

In the case of Wu, the six intended to recruit Wu as a new member of Quannengshen by asking for her phone number. When Wu refused, they were enraged and claimed Wu to be evil and killed her, said the police.

COLD-BLOODED: Zhang Lidong, one of the six Quannengshen cult members who beat a woman to death on May 28, in detainment in Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province on the same day (CCTV SCREENSHOT)

Zhang Lidong, 54, one of the murderers, said after he was detained that his act was "the will of God" and he did not regret what he had done.

The police arrested five adult members of the group responsible for Wu's murder on June 2 on charges of intentional homicide. The accused include Zhang Lidong, Zhang's two daughters—Zhang Fan and Zhang Hang, as well as two other women—Zhang Qiaolian and Lyu Yingchun. According to the Zhaoyuan Government, Zhang Lidong's 12-year-old son will also be charged, but at a juvenile court since he is two years under the age of criminal responsibility in China.

Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong's eldest daughter, was the first in the family to follow Quannengshen and recruited her father, sister and brother to the heretic sect.

At the apartment where the Zhang family stayed, the police found books and disks of Quannengshen material.

Repeat offenders

A witness to Wu's death recorded the scene and put the clip online, which sparked public outrage.

"I was so shocked that I couldn't fall asleep after watching," said Yang Shan, a resident in Jinan, capital of Shandong. He said that he was even more angry after learning the suspects expressed no regret for what they had done.