Taichung police said they have arrested a suspect in last month's killing of two men, who were shot in the head and left on the side of a highway in Taichung County with their pants unzipped.
Police said that early yesterday morning they arrested a man in Nantou County.
"The suspect Wang Chih-chung (
Police said that Wang and the two murdered men, surnamed Chiu and Lin, were drug dealers and gangsters who had known one another through the drug trade.
Wang initially denied that he had committed the crime, police said. But after several hours of questioning, Wang admitted that he had killed his friends because he wanted money.
The police identified Wang after examining Chiu and Lin's phone records, which showed they had contacted Wang. They also found that Wang had gotten to know Lin while serving time several years ago, and had became close friends. Police were also suspicious of Wang, because he hadn't attended his friend's funeral.
The Taichung District Court yesterday ordered that Wang be detained.
Police yesterday found some of the money that had been in the victims' car -- NT$2.26 million -- in a safety deposit box rented by Wang. Wang told police he had spent the rest of the money.
Police also found a gun and bullets suspected of being used in the murder beside a river in Taichung County.
Police said that Wang last month had tricked Chiu and Lin, telling them he would like to take them to Taichung City to buy drugs.
According to police, on Aug. 21, Wang left for Taichung in his car, with Chiu and Lin following behind in a separate vehicle. Along the way, Wang phoned the other two and told them he needed to stop to go to the bathroom. Wang pulled over on the side of the highway, got out, and Chiu and Lin did the same. Wang shot Chiu once in the head, and then shot Lin twice in the head as he tried to escape. Wang fired another two bullets into Chiu's head. He then unzipped the two dead men's pants, apparently to fool police into thinking that they had been shot from behind. Wang then took NT$3 million (US$95,200) from their car, police said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned