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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS