Chen Jui-chin (陳瑞欽), the Chiayi County man who was arrested last Thursday for murdering a Chiayi woman, reportedly confessed to prosecutors yesterday that he murdered four family members in order to collect on their life insurance policies.
Last Saturday, Nantou prosecutors announced that Chen Jui-chin had confessed to murdering his friend Chen Yi-ling (陳怡伶) on May 11.
Her body had been found on May 12 in the Shanlinshi resort area.
During their investigation into that murder, Nantou County prosecutors discovered that five members of of Chen's extended family had died in what appeared to be an unusual string of accidents over a 13-year period and that he had received an estimated NT$22 million from their life-insurance policies.
"We had a long talk on Tuesday night. Early this morning, he finally admitted that the deaths of four of family members were his work. He wanted to get money from their insurance policies," said Nantou Chief Prosecutor Wang Ching-chieh (王清杰).
"However, Chen insisted that he had nothing to do with his second wife's death. For that, we will still need more time to investigate," Wang said.
Wang said that Chen admitted to murdering his first wife Tseng Pi-hsia (曾碧霞), his son Chen Chien-hung (陳建宏), Chen Yi-chi (陳一志) -- the 15-year old son of his second wife -- and Chen Tsung-ching (陳宗慶) -- the son of his third wife.
Tseng died after a fall from her bed in 1985 and while Chen Jui-chin had been the only witness, at the time he could not explain how the accident happened.
According to Wang, Chen Jui-chin has admitted that he had pushed Tseng out of the bed.
Chen Yi-chi died of at home in 1988, reportedly of brain damage. Chen Jui-chin has told prosecutors that he choked his stepson to death.
Chen Chien-hung was reportedly hit by a car in 1995. He was treated at a hospital, but died the next day at home after lapsing into a coma.
According to Chen Jui-chin, the truth was that he beat his son in the head with a brick.
His second wife Wang Shu-ying (王淑嬰) died in a car accident in 1996; Chen Jui-chin insisted that this really was an accident.
Chen Tsung-ching died at home in 1998, reportedly from brain damage that his stepfather told doctors had been caused by a car accident.
Wang said that Chen Jui-chin has confessed to slamming his stepson's head against a wall.
Prosecutors said that Chen Jui-chin had purchased life insurance polices on all five relatives without their authorization and that he had been the sole beneficiary of all of the policies.
The 54-year-old Chen Jui-chen was a former technician for the Chinese Petroleum Corporation.
Nantou District Prosecutors' Office said that when he was arrested on Thursday, he was picked up at Chiayi Christian Hospital.
He had gone to the hospital to get treatment for wounds he suffered after getting beaten up by his creditors.
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