The dismembered body of a woman allegedly killed by her archery instructor has been found on a mountain in New Taipei City, police said yesterday.
It is the third killing and dismemberment of a woman in a month.
The suspect, Chen Po-chien (陳伯謙), 37, teaches archery at his Yejucaotang (野居草堂) studio at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, police said.
The victim, surnamed Kao (高), 30, attended his classes last month, and her family reported her missing on May 31, when she was scheduled to attend an archery class.
After checking footage from the park’s security cameras, police on Sunday detained Chen to question him as the main suspect, but released him at about 7pm due to insufficient evidence.
Three hours later, police visited his studio again and asked him to return to the station for further questioning.
At about 5am yesterday, Chen allegedly confessed to strangling Kao to death on June 1 because she rejected his sexual advances after they had drinks together at his studio earlier in the day, police said.
Chen allegedly cut Kao’s body into seven parts in his studio on June 3 and hid them on a mountain in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) the next day, police said.
Officers yesterday found the victim’s head and hands in two bags and found the remaining parts later in the day, police said, adding that they found Kao’s notebook computer in Chen’s studio.
Police said they are still collecting evidence and have sent the body parts to a laboratory for tests, adding that they do not rule out that Chen might have had an accomplice.
The news of the killing came only weeks after a similar incident in the city’s Banciao District (板橋), in which fitness instructor Chu Chun-ying (朱峻穎) is suspected of killing and dismembering his girlfriend, National Chung Cheng University Department of Criminology dean Hsu Hua-fu (許華孚) said, adding that the latest incident might be a copycat crime.
Also last month, Chen Teng-ko (陳登科), 67, allegedly confessed to killing his wife of about 40 years and dismembering her body.
Police found the victim’s body after Chen Teng-ko’s daughter called the police when her mother went missing after taking breakfast to her husband.
Similar killings over the past few months were all related to failed relationships, in which suspects resorted to murder after facing rejection, Hsu said.
Hsu urged people whose partners are controlling or easily irritated to exercise caution.
People who are concerned about discussing sensitive matters with their partners should seek to do so in the company of family members or friends to be safe, department professor Cheng Jui-lung (鄭瑞隆) said.
Additional reporting by CNA and staff writer
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