The Taipei Shilin District Court yesterday sentenced Cheng Yu (程宇), 24, to life in prison and deprived him of his civil rights for life for raping and killing a female model.
The crime took place in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) in March last year.
During an initial investigation, Cheng tried to mislead investigators into believing that his girlfriend at the time, surnamed Liang (梁), was behind the plot to kill the model surnamed Chen (陳), and told them that she raped and killed Chen under Liang’s instructions.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Prosecutors in an indictment in June last year sought the death penalty for Cheng, while dropping the charges against Liang.
Cheng was found to have prior convictions for sexual assault, fraud, forgery, forcible confinement and causing bodily harm.
Evidence and testimonies showed that Cheng invited the victim out for a photo shoot, but led her to a building’s basement.
Cheng wanted to have sex with Chen, who was Liang’s friend, but she likely resisted him, prosecutors said.
Cheng then strangled Chen, rendering her unconscious, and then raped her, they said.
Cheng strangled the victim to death to cover up his crime and made calls and sent text messages from her mobile phone to give the impression that she was still alive, prosecutors said.
During the trial, Cheng said Chen had consented to having sex with him, and that he strangled her to death by accident.
Chen’s parents yesterday said they wanted the court to impose the death penalty, adding that they would appeal to a higher court.
They said Cheng deserved to die because he had planned to kill their daughter, adding that capital punishment could deter other such would-be criminals.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS