Murder suspect says he ate parts of victim's body

A motorcycle technician yesterday admitted to murder and said that he ate parts of his victim's body, but police said that they had found no evidence of cannibalism.

"We are quite sure that he is the murderer. But there is no evidence to prove that he had eaten parts of the victim's body as he had confessed," said Chen Juei-tien (陳瑞添), commissioner of the Taichung County Police Department.

The department held a press conference yesterday to announce that the murder case of 28-year-old insurance agent Shih Chin-chi (施金池) had been closed.

Police said a statement by 20-year-old witness Kwang Teh-chiang (廣德強), an intern of the suspect, was the key to closing the case.

The suspect, Chen Chin-huo (陳金火), 39, allegedly murdered Shih and chopped her body into eight pieces on Dec. 7. He allegedly dumped the body parts into the water tank of his townhouse, where he also runs a motorcycle shop.

According to Kwang's statement, Chen Chin-huo was upset about a high insurance quote and began to argue with Shih. He attacked Shih, choked her to death with a rope and pulled her body to the second floor, according to the statement. Kwang said that he did not know what happened afterward.

Shih's family had reported her disappearance to the police. Shih' s scooter was discovered near Chen Chin-huo's home and police discovered that Chen Chin-huo had been using Shih's cellphone. When police visited him on Dec. 12, officers discovered Shih's body in the water tank.

Officers discovered that parts of Shih's body were missing.

Chen Juei-tien told reporters that Chen Chin-huo confessed to eating parts of Shih's body. However, there was no evidence to support Chen Chin-huo's claim.

Police also suspect Chen Chin-huo of involvement in the disappearance of Hsu Juei-fan (許瑞芬), another insurance agent, 12 years ago.

Hsu disappeared after she visited Chen Chin-huo for business. Chen Chin-huo passed a polygraph test, however, and officers did not find any evidence related to the case.