Kekai Child Abuse Case Finalized! Supreme Court Rejects Appeal: Liu Caixuan Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, Liu Ruolin to 18 Years

One-year-old boy Kekai died after being abused by caregiver sisters Liu Caixuan and Liu Ruolin. After multiple court hearings, the Supreme Court officially rejected the appeal this afternoon (23rd), finalizing the verdict. Sister Liu Caixuan was sentenced to life imprisonment with lifelong deprivation of civil rights, while younger sister Liu Ruolin received an 18-year prison term. Both will be sent directly to prison.

Transferred into care under tragic circumstances—Kekai’s biological mother was unable to raise him, so he was referred by New Taipei City’s Social Welfare Bureau and the Child Welfare League Foundation to be cared for by Liu Caixuan starting September 1, 2023. Instead of protection, the sisters subjected Kekai to prolonged torture: binding his limbs, folding his body, and stuffing him into narrow gaps between beds or inside buckets. They forced him to wear a mask over his eyes 24 hours a day and physically assaulted him, including punching and pinching his ears.

Kekai was given only one meal a day—leftover burnt rice crusts—and forced to bathe in cold water. Even foreign caregivers witnessed cockroaches inside the paper bowls used to feed him.

On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023, Kekai was rushed to Wanfang Hospital after losing breath and heartbeat, but could not be revived. He was severely underweight, covered in injuries, and had four teeth broken. The hospital immediately reported a major child abuse case. Although Liu Caixuan initially lied, claiming Kekai died from milk aspiration, authorities did not believe her. Police and prosecutors detained both sisters, and the court approved pre-trial detention without visitation.

In the first trial at Taipei District Court, the citizen judges handed down a life sentence for Liu Caixuan and 18 years for Liu Ruolin. During the appeal, Liu Caixuan claimed she would hire a lawyer to negotiate reconciliation and compensation with the family, but the panel did not accept this and rejected the appeal. The case went to the Supreme Court, which on the afternoon of the 23rd rejected the final appeal, upholding the original ruling and ensuring the sisters face legal consequences for their cruel actions.