A man who killed a four-year-old girl with a meat cleaver last year was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for what judges called a depraved crime carried out in an extremely vicious manner.
The Shilin District Court found Wang Ching-yu (王景玉), 34, guilty of murdering the child in Taipei last year.
Wang was convicted of intentional homicide of a child, which carries a maximum punishment of a life sentence and deprivation of civil rights for life, the ruling said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The judges refrained from imposing the death penalty, citing international human rights conventions that prohibit “cruel or inhumane punishment against defendants with disabilities or suffering from mental disorders.”
On March 28 last year, Wang bought a meat cleaver from a store before attacking the girl, nicknamed “Little Lightbulb” (小燈泡), who was riding a bicycle with her mother in Neihu District (內湖).
He used the cleaver to strike her neck region 23 times.
Her mother, Claire Wang (王婉諭), said she tried to stop the attack, but it happened too fast for her to react, and that Wang Ching-yu overpowered her.
Prosecutors requested the death penalty and said they would consider an appeal.
Investigators said that Wang Ching-yu had prior convictions for drug offenses, while a psychiatric evaluation showed he had symptoms indicating schizophrenia.
However, the evaluation showed that Wang Ching-yu was cognitively normal and had normal control when carrying out the crime, which meant he did not qualify for exemption from the death penalty under the provisions of the Criminal Code.
Chief Judge of the court’s administrative section Huang Chieh-ju (黃潔茹) said judges could not impose the death penalty because the nation is seeking to comply with international conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“A medical diagnosis determined that the defendant had schizophrenia and other mental disorders,” Huang said.
“Therefore, under the protection of these conventions, the judges could not impose the death penalty. They could only hand down a life sentence,” Huang said.
The ruling said the defendant had personality disorders and encountered problems as a young person.
In the aftermath of the crime, he showed no remorse or empathy, the ruling said, adding that there would be a high risk that he would reoffend if he were to return to society.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative