Wrapping up their investigation into the decapitation of a little girl in March, Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged suspect Wang Ching-yu (王景玉) with murder and asked judges for the death sentence.
Officials at the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said they are seeking the capital punishment, because Wang had committed extreme cruelty in the murder of the four-year-old, known as “Little Light Bulb.”
They said the “heinous crime” had shocked society, while medical examinations have shown that the suspect is mentally fit to stand trial.
The murder of Little Light Bulb took place on a street in Neihu District (內湖) on March 28, when Wang, carrying a kitchen knife, allegedly grabbed the victim and decapitated her in front of her mother.
The case stoked public fury and led to an outpouring of grief and empathy for the family of the girl. It also added to increasing concern over public safety following a string of random killings in the nation.
Prosecutors said that medical examinations and analyses showed that Wang does not have any psychiatric problems or mental health disorders.
He was not using narcotics and was therefore aware of his actions when he committed the crime, they said.
“Wang did not express regret nor apologize for the crime, indicating that he has a vile criminal nature, would be difficult to rehabilitate and should be separated permanently from society,” the indictment read.
“Prosecutors have therefore asked judges to hand out the capital punishment and deprive the suspect of his civil rights. By doing so, they can uphold justice and order, maintain respect for the nation’s laws and protect public security,” the indictment said.
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
RSS