Prosecutors probing a murder after a woman's body was found in a garbage bag in Kaohsiung's Yencheng District (鹽埕) on Saturday evening released US citizen David Michael Fillion without bail yesterday morning while his Filipina girlfriend, Armia Panaglima, was ordered detained by Kaohsiung judges on suspicion of murder.
Fillion was summoned by prosecutors for further questioning yesterday afternoon. Questioning was ongoing at press time.
Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chung Chung-hsiao (鍾忠孝) told reporters that after several hours of questioning, Panaglima told prosecutors early yesterday morning that she had killed 48-year-old Chiu Mei-yun (邱美雲) on her own and dumped her body in a garbage bag.
She allegedly said Fillion was unaware of the crime.
Chung said investigators yesterday morning took Panaglima back to the alleged site of the murder, the residence in the city's Tsoying District (左營) where she had lived with Fillion, to re-enact how she carried out the killing. Panaglima's recollection matched the post mortem examination results, Chung said.
"Her simulation proved that she could have committed the killing and how she could have been able to do it alone," Chung said.
He said Panaglima told investigators that Fillion was drunk on Wednesday night last week and that he did not know about the confrontation between her and Chou that led to the murder.
Chung said Fillion offered evidence to show he was somewhere else at the time of the murder.
"Prosecutors released Fillion without bail because they have insufficient evidence to prove he was involved," Chung said.
But Chung said Fillion is barred from leaving the country.
He said Panaglima told police she met Chou at the residence last Wednesday. She allegedly wanted her to lend her some money but she refused.
Chung said Panaglima told investigators how she became angry after Chou hit her on the cheek and attacked her with a kitchen knife.
Chou, a broker who helped foreigners find teaching jobs at private schools, left her home last Wednesday afternoon, the last time she was seen alive.
Police said footage from a surveillance camera near the place where the body was found showed a woman riding a scooter towing a big black garbage bag at approximately 11pm on Friday.
Police on Monday traced the scooter to its owner, a Japanese teacher who told police that she had lent the scooter to Fillion on Friday and that he had not returned it.
Investigators said they found traces of blood in Fillion's apartment.
A DNA test showed that the blood matched that of the deceased, police said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Mei-chuan (
"They [Fillion and Panaglima] live under the same roof. How could he know nothing? I don't buy it," Chen said at a press conference.
Chen said that given the fatal stab wound on Chou's chest was 13cm deep and the way the body was folded inside the garbage bag, Panaglima must have had a "tall and strong male accomplice."
"They [Chou's family] said they absolutely cannot accept this [Fillion's release]," she said.
The victim's husband also protested at Yencheng Precinct yesterday afternoon.
"Judging from her [Chou's] size, I don't believe a woman could have committed the crime alone," said Chou's husband, surnamed Yao (姚). "There was obviously a struggle."
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS