New Taipei Man on Parole for Murder Stabs Woman to Death After Rejection; Appellate Court Upholds Life Sentence

(CNA Taipei, June 18) Chen, a man serving a life sentence for a fatal robbery, was on parole when he pursued a woman who rejected him and fatally stabbed her in New Taipei's Zhonghe District. The first trial court at the New Taipei District Court, under the National Judges Act, sentenced Chen to life imprisonment for murder. The appellate court today rejected the appeal. The verdict is subject to further appeal.

Chen, around 70 years old, first stole a doll from a car in Taipei's Chengde Road area in 2001. When discovered by the owner, he fatally stabbed the owner to escape arrest. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for quasi-robbery resulting in death and was released on parole in September 2021.

After his release, Chen worked as a dispatched employee at a staffing agency, where he met the victim. However, after his romantic pursuit was unsuccessful and he became displeased with the victim dating another man, he rode his motorcycle to lie in wait near the Jing'an MRT Station in New Taipei's Zhonghe District around 6 a.m. on December 2, 2023. He followed the woman when she passed by, pulled out a pre-hidden fruit knife, and repeatedly stabbed her before fleeing the scene. The woman suffered massive blood loss and died after being rushed to the hospital.

After the crime, Chen discarded the murder weapon and his blood-stained jacket into an old clothes recycling bin. He also changed his clothes and rode his motorcycle to Taipei in an attempt to disrupt the investigation. A special police task force tracked him down, and Chen was arrested in Taipei three hours after the incident and sent for prosecution. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him on murder charges after investigation.

In the first trial, the National Judges Court at the New Taipei District Court considered Chen's poor past conduct, noting that the victim was the second life lost due to the defendant's actions. Taking into account Chen's motive, methods, relationship with the victim, and potential for rehabilitation, the court sentenced Chen to life imprisonment for murder and deprived him of his civil rights for life.

Both the prosecution and Chen appealed the sentence. The second trial was heard by the Taiwan High Court, which today rejected the appeals. According to news materials, the collegiate bench found that the original National Judges Court had considered all circumstances stipulated by the Criminal Code and the sentencing evidence attached to the case file, providing detailed grounds and reasons for the sentence. This was deemed consistent with the principles of proportionality and the equivalence of crime and punishment, and not manifestly unfair. Therefore, the original sentence was upheld.

News materials indicate that the prosecutor in the original trial specifically sought a life sentence during the sentencing debate. The original court's life sentence was explained by considering the various circumstances stipulated by the Criminal Code. The High Court found that Chen's actions did not meet the "most serious criminal circumstances" standard described in the Constitutional Court's Judgment No. 8 of 2024. The original verdict was deemed free of sentencing errors or any clear abuse or overreach of discretion, thus the appeals were rejected. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 0618115

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