Three death row inmates known as the Hsichih Trio fought hard in a civil court hearing yesterday to prove that they were not responsible for a 1991 double murder in Taipei county.
The hearing was a continuation of civil litigation started in 1992. The family of the victims, an elderly married couple, have requested more than NT$10 million in compensation from the defendants.
Originally, five young men were charged with the murders -- Wang Wen-hsiao (王文孝) and his younger brother Wang Wen-chung (王文忠), Su Jian-he (蘇建和), Liu Bing-lang (劉秉郎) and Chuang Lin-hsun (莊林勳).
PHOTOS: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
During his confession, Wang Wen-hsiao told police that he had accomplices in the murder. It was on the basis of his claim that the police charged Wang Wen-chung, Su and Liu -- who had been with Wang Wen-hsiao the night before the murder. The murdered couple lived next to the Wang family.
Wang Wen-chung, during police interrogation, also mentioned that Chuang had been with the group the night before the murder.
Wang, then serving in the army, was quickly convicted and executed in 1992. His brother was convicted of theft and released from prison after serving 32 months.
Su, Liu and Chuang were also found guilty and became known as the Hsichih Trio. The three entered prison at age 19 and have been on death row for almost five years.
The group's convictions, according to human rights activists, epitomize systematic flaws in Taiwan's judicial system, from police abuse to misjudgments by prosecutors and judges who had worked on the case.
The Shihlin District Court heard the civil litigation yesterday, with the four defendants reconstructing facts of the 9-year-old case.
While his previous confessions were used as evidence against the trio, Wang Wen-chung testified yesterday that neither he nor the other three men, all his friends, committed the crime.
"I know you're innocent. It's impossible for you to ..." Wang said as he was interrupted by Su, who stood at his side.
"I know you wouldn't have tried to hurt me," Su said. "But it's because of what you said that we three were put in such conditions."
During the three-and-half hour hearing, a three-judge panel heard arguments from the plaintiffs and the defendants. The defendants were, however, rarely given the opportunity to tell their story in full.
"What I said today, I have repeated it thousands of times before to other judges. But I don't know whether it makes any difference to you," Su said.
"But I do feel so glad your honor could allow us to speak, as we were never given such opportunities by the other judges," he said.
Normally, a civil court decision would be based on the arguments and conclusions of the criminal case. However, judges in these proceedings have allowed a fresh investigation into the case. This has brought new hope for the defendants.
Counsel for the trio said they hoped to overturn previous guilty rulings through the civil trial, where the case's facts could be reconstructed.
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