The Taichung District Court yesterday handed university student Chen Ming-feng (陳明峰) a life sentence for killing a teacher he had been in a romantic relationship with.
Chen killed the teacher after the two began fighting when Chen wanted to break up, investigators said, adding that he tried to hide her body in the mountains.
It was the first ruling on the case and can be appealed.
The court convicted Chen of murder and sentenced him to life in jail with deprivation of his civil rights for life.
Chen, 27, was a graduate student at National Taiwan University of Sport in Taichung at the time of the murder in February last year.
Chen had a dispute over finances with the female teacher, surnamed Cheng (鄭), over which he murdered her, the court statement said.
“However, Chen had no prior criminal record, admitted to the crime and has suffered emotional problems, therefore the court handed him a life sentence,” the statement said.
Chen had emotional problems in 2013, and came to Cheng for counseling, and the two became romantically involved, investigators said.
Cheng wanted to help Chen financially and gave him about NT$20,000 each month to help him pay rent and living expenses.
Chen initially denied the two had a sexual relationship, saying his teacher forced him into having sex.
However, they referred to each other as husband and wife in text messages, investigators said.
“I love you and I want to hold you,” Chen said in one message, investigators said.
Chen later began dating another woman and wanted to end his relationship with Cheng, but she wanted it to continue and threatened to reveal that she had been financially supporting him, investigators said.
In February last year, Chen went to Cheng’s home and again told her he wanted to end their relationship, which resulted in the two fighting.
Chen hit Cheng over the head with a baseball bat before strangling her to death and taking NT$7,400 cash from her purse, investigators said.
Chen is the son of Chen Wei-cheng (陳威成), who was head coach of the Sinon Bulls professional baseball team from 2001 to 2004, and a former Taiwan national baseball team coach.
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