Lee Tai-an (
"Lee Tai-an and his brother Lee Shuang-chuan (
The court said Chen had been poisoned with a "rare substance" administered by Lee Shuang-chuan while Chen was receiving treatment in a Pingtung hospital after the derailment.
She did not die in the train derailment -- she was murdered, the court said.
The Pingtung District Court found Lee Tai-an guilty of murder, destruction of railway infrastructure, endangering passenger safety and illegitimately collecting insurance payouts after Chen's death.
Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence Lee Tai-an to death, as he has denied any wrongdoing and showed no remorse for his actions.
Lee Tai-an's wife yesterday said they would appeal the verdict with the Taiwan High Court.
The accident occurred on March 17, when an express train traveling from Taitung to Kaohsiung derailed in Pingtung County.
Among the passengers on the train were Lee Shuang-chuan -- a Taiwan Railway Administration employee -- and his wife.
Chen died in the hospital after the derailment, but prosecutors became suspicious after they discovered that Lee Shuang-chuan had taken out a NT$20 million (US$625,000) life insurance policy on his wife, which covered accidental death, a few days prior to the derailment.
Chen was reportedly alive and called for help when she climbed out of the train compartment.
Investigators said Chen had first been injected with Etumine, a strong sedative mainly administered to patients with mental illnesses, followed by snake poison by Lee Shuang-chuan, before she boarded the train. She was injected with a different poison after being admitted to the hospital.
Lee Shuang-chuan was found dead hanging from a tree near his Taitung home on March 23.
Meanwhile, deputy managing director of the Taiwan Railway Administration Frank Fan (范植谷) said yesterday that the administration had already filed for the provisional seizure of Lee's assets following the derailment.
Fan said that the derailment had engendered losses of NT$46.3 million, in addition to fees amounting to NT$370,000.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
‘HERO OF THE ERA’: President Tsai Ing-wen expressed deep sadness at Lee’s passing, and told the government to assist his family with all their needs Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) passed away at 7:24pm yesterday at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. He was 97 years old. The hospital stated the cause of death as septic shock and multiple organ failure. Lee had been hospitalized there since February, when he choked on a mouthful of milk at home. He was later diagnosed with pulmonary infiltrates and aspiration pneumonia. The hospital said that Lee had been treated with antibiotics, but that his health had not improved, as his advanced age and diabetes had inhibited his immune system and led to recurring infections. During his hospitalization, Lee underwent daily kidney dialysis, which removed
‘WEAK POSITIVE’: The man arrived in Taiwan in May and was quarantined for two weeks, Chen Shih-chung said, adding that he might be infected a long time ago The government is considering tightening mask-wearing rules again in light of a potential domestic COVID-19 infection, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases, six of which are imported. The other case involves a Belgian engineer who entered Taiwan on May 3 and remained in quarantine until May 17, said Chen, who heads the CECC. Although the source of infection has yet to be identified, the case could end the nation’s record of not having any domestic cases in the previous 110 days. The Belgian, in his 20s, is a technician
ROAD TO HISTORY: When Lee Teng-hui joined the KMT, the likelihood of a Taiwanese becoming ROC president, much less its first directly elected one, was hard to imagine Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was born on Jan. 15, 1923, in the farming community of Sanshi Village, Taihoku Prefecture — now New Taipei City’s Sanzhi District (三芝) — during the Japanese colonial era, and rose to become mayor of Taipei and not only the Republic of China’s (ROC) first Taiwan-born president, but its first directly elected one as well. Educated in the Japanese educational system of the time, Lee, who spoke Japanese, Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), Mandarin and English, won a scholarship to Kyoto Imperial University, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He earned a bachelor’s
BRIBERY CASE: President Tsai Ing-wen accepted Su Jia-chyuan’s resignation as he said that he deeply regretted causing trouble for the president due to the investigation Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) yesterday resigned after his nephew, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清), was implicated in a bribery case related to a dispute over the ownership of Pacific Sogo Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨). “I resigned from the post so that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would not be bothered by it anymore, and the prosecutors can investigate the case in a fair and just manner. I thank President Tsai once again for supporting me. May the country continue to prosper under her leadership,” Su Jia-chyuan said in a statement. The Presidential Office said that Tsai has accepted
RSS