Lawyers and legal experts yesterdays disagreed with a Supreme Court decision to commute the death sentences of convicted killer Chang Ho-ling (張鶴齡) to life imprisonment.
Chang, 49, was convicted of murdering his wife, Tsai Ting-yu (蔡婷宥), and their eight- and 12-year-old daughters in 2006 after his mistress, Su Yu-chen (蘇玉真), reportedly told him to get rid of his family so they could start a new life.
Chang videotaped the killings to show to Su.
In the original trial, Chang was sentenced to death twice, once for each of daughter, and to a term of life in prison for murdering his wife.
In Monday’s verdict in the fifth retrial of the case, the Supreme Court said the murders were not premeditated and there is a likelihood that Chang could be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.
In its decision, the Supreme Court agreed with the Taiwan High Court, which in April commuted Chang’s death sentences to life imprisonment.
Some people have condemned the Supreme Court judges for making decisions “contrary to majority sentiment in the nation,” since many had expected the death sentences to be upheld.
Lawyer Hsueh Wei-ping (薛維平) said only extremely cruel people would kill children, especially in such a depraved way, to please a woman.
“In killing his own children, Chang showed he had no human instincts left. Although we do not really know if Chang be can rehabilitated, the judges’ ruling ran counter to the public’s expectation and it was not in accordance with the prevailing values of our society,” Hsueh said.
Lawyer Hu Yuan-lung (胡原龍) said that meting out a punishment to fit the crime is not only a deterrent, but is also seen as bringing justice for society.
“Citing the likelihood of rehabilitation was legal phrasing, but the sense of the law should not diverge too far from the prevailing public sentiment or else people feel the judgement is out of touch with reality,” Hu said.
“It is regrettable the case was decided by such a final ruling. The suspect used ether to asphyxiate his wife and their two young daughters, then strangled them to death. This vile crime has reached such a level that it has caused great fury among the public and the deities,” Hu added.
He said that the crime was so shocking that most people could not accept that Chang any likelihood of being rehabilitated.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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