( CNN ) -- A Beijing man who snatched a baby from a pram and hurled it to its death in an argument over a parking space was Wednesday sentenced to death by a Beijing court , according to court documents . Han Lei , 39 , was charged with intentional homicide over the death of the two-year-old girl who died in hospital from brain damage 50 hours after being dashed to the pavement in the Daxing District of Beijing on July 23 . The court sentenced his friend Li Ming , who helped Han escape after the incident , to five years ' jail . The Beijing No.1 Intermediate People 's Court heard how Han and Li decided to drive to a karaoke bar after a dinner with several other people . Unable to find a parking space , they attempted to park at a bus stop where a woman , also surnamed Li , was waiting with the 2-year , 10-month-old baby who was named as Sun in court documents . An altercation began when Han accused the mother of blocking the car 's path with the pushchair . The court heard how Han hit the mother and then proceeded to hurl the baby out of its pram . The court rejected his defense that he had been intoxicated at the time of the attack , saying that his mental condition had been `` stable '' despite earlier drinking at dinner . Prosecutors recommended that Han , who committed the crime within a year of being released from prison , be given the death sentence . `` I smacked her in the face . She hit back , too . People started to gather around us . I just wanted to smash the trolley , '' Han reportedly said in a statement to police . The girl 's mother told police that Han had earlier threatened to kill the child and had acted before she was able to take measures to protect her . Han fled the scene with Li Ming , who was charged with harboring a criminal , but was arrested by police the next day . Li turned himself in to police on July 25 . Relatives of the child asked for a total of 2.73 million yuan ( $ 443,513 ) in civil compensation during the court hearing , according to state-run Xinhua . The case drew a strong response on Chinese social media site Weibo where posters mostly applauded the death sentence : `` He deserves to be shot 100 times , '' said poster Xiongwoxi while another , named as Wujiayounvchuzhangcheng , said the death sentence was not strong enough . `` Dying once is leniency , '' he said . Despite this , there were some calls to end capital punishment in China . `` Although he deserves the death , should n't we give him another chance ? Do we must have people die one after another ? '' said poster Linxidaxuesonglianli .
Han Lei man sentenced to death after hurling a baby from its pram . Han Lei , two years , throws toddler to the ground in argument over parking space . Court sentences Xiongwoxi , who helped Chinese escape after the incident , to 39 jail . The girl , aged two years and 10 months , suffered severe head injuries and died later in hospital .