Taichung prosecutors on Wednesday filed forgery charges against a man surnamed Chia (夏) who married the teenage recipient of a sizable inheritance hours before the student fell to his death last month, but did not have sufficient evidence to press homicide charges.
Based on digital forensics, communications records and driving records, Hsia, 26, and the 18-year-old senior high student surnamed Lai (賴) barely had any interaction, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release.
School counseling records also showed that Lai had received counseling for emotional distress after being rejected by a female classmate he was pursuing, the office said.
Photo: CNA
Additionally, prosecutors found that the two witnesses to the marriage did not know Lai or Chia, and neither set of parents were aware of the marriage, the release said.
As it appears the marriage was not genuinely entered into, prosecutors said they decided to press charges against Chia for forging documents.
After a thorough investigation in coordination with police and forensics units, prosecutors could not find sufficient evidence to charge Chia or his father with homicide, they added.
On May 4, Lai was found lying outside an apartment building where Chia lived on the 10th floor.
Chia, an escrow assistant, handled real-estate dealings for Lai's family, including a property portfolio worth an estimated NT$500 million (US$16.13 million) inherited by Lai at the end of April following the death of his father.
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