Taiwan High Court upholds `suitcase murder' verdicts

The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld the Taipei District Court's guilty verdict in the high-profile "suitcase murder" case, rejecting the defendant's appeal that he be charged with negligent homicide.

Liao Chien-kai (廖健凱), a 24-year-old computer engineer at the time of his conviction, was found guilty of murder in June last year for his role in the death of his male lover during violent sexual intercourse.

The case dominated the news after the victim's body was found in a suitcase in a vacant lot in Taipei City's Wenshan District.

Liao was sentenced to 13 years, while his friend, Chen Chia-wei (陳嘉偉), was sentenced to two years for helping dispose of the corpse.

The two have been in detention at the Taipei Detention House since their original trial. Neither was present yesterday.

During the first trial, the district court rejected Liao's plea that he had "negligently" caused the death of his 21-year-old lover, a student surnamed Lin.

Liao testified that the death resulted when he forgot to uncover Lin's face and untie his bindings, which he had done so Lin could experience a heightened orgasm in a practice known as autoerotic asphyxiation.

Liao said that he failed to untie or do anything to prevent the victim from suffocation because he fell asleep after they had sexual intercourse.

But the court ruled that possible suffocation should have been foreseeable, therefore making Liao responsible for preventing the victim's death.

This point was echoed by the Taiwan High Court as well in yesterday's second verdict.

Liao and Lin met in an Internet chatroom for sadomasochists and often exchanged messages.

The prosecution had also said during the investigation hearings that Liao had committed negligent homicide. But the victim's family successfully that Liao had killed with intent.

The High Court also upheld Chen's guilty verdict.

Liao and Chen have 20 days to decide whether to lodge another appeal.