A murder and robbery case from 18 years ago is being reviewed by Zhejiang Provincial Higher People's Court after a new suspect was captured and confessed to the crime.

Five men convicted in the case had served jail terms of about 17 years, The Beijing News reported yesterday. One man was released in January while the other four had since been released on probation, the report said.

The family members of the men were citing as saying they have met with Zhejiang higher court officials, who promised them they would be informed of the review results.

Zhejiang police are now investigating the new suspect, Xiang Shengyuan, 41, who allegedly killed female taxi driver, Xu Caihua, in 1995 in Zhejiang's Xiaoshan City.

"Now my life is once again disturbed totally," said the victim's husband, Xu Xianghua, 52.

Xu Xianghua told the newspaper that he planned to hire a lawyer and sue for compensation.

His wife was found dead on March 20, 1995. Her body was discarded near a swimming pool and her belongings, including jewelry and 5,000 yuan (US$814) in cash, were missing. Two days later Xu's taxi was found. The windshield had been smashed and traces of blood were seen on the seats.

The five men, all from Xiaoshan, were convicted in 1997 by the Zhejiang higher court. One received a life sentence while the other four were handed death penalties with a two-year reprieve.

In 2012, police reopened the case after a match was found for a fingerprint taken from the crime scene in 1995, the report said.

The report said the fingerprint belongs to Xiang, who confessed to the police.

One of Xiang's relatives told The Beijing News that Xiang informed his lawyer that he had a fight over the fare with the female taxi driver on the night of her death. Xiang reportedly said he grabbed the driver's neck and choked her but that she was still alive when he left.

Xiang's father said his son had previously served a 18-month prison sentence for stealing.

Xiang married in 1996 and has two daughters, according to his neighbors. He worked in the curtain business, the report said.

Another taxi driver was murdered and robbed in Xiaoshan on August 12, 1995. The five men were convicted in both cases. Police said they are investigating whether Xiang was involved in the second death, according to the report.

Zhu Youping, who has been released as one of the five men convicted of murdering Xu Caihua, said he was excited that his name may finally be cleared.

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