The Taichung branch of the High Court on Thursday upheld the death penalty for a gunman convicted of killing four people and critically injuring a fifth at a biotechnology company in Nantou County last year.
The high court also upheld the life-long suspension of civil rights handed down by the Nantou District Court in May to Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻淵), as that a forensic psychiatric examination of the accused conducted by the Taiwan Forensic Psychology Association determined that there was little chance of rehabilitation.
In addition, Lee’s actions could be interpreted as falling under the “most serious crimes” possible under the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the high court said.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
As such, the death penalty is the only way to maintain social order and justice in response to Lee’s multiple crimes and malicious behavior in taking the lives of others, it said.
On July 14 last year, a disgruntled Lee shot Kang Jian Biotech chairman Lai Min-nan (賴敏男), his brother and daughter, and two company employees surnamed Chang (張) and Liu (劉).
Lee held a grudge from his time as an employee at the company and shot the five in an act of revenge.
Lai suffered severe head trauma and was rushed to Taichung Veterans General Hospital, while the other four died on the spot.
All five were shot up-close in the head, execution style, which the high court said highlighted the completely lawless and extremely malicious nature of the crime.
The ruling can be appealed.
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