The High Court today reduced the sentence for Chen Po-yan (陳柏諺) for the 2022 murder of a Malaysian student from life imprisonment to 18 years and 10 months.
In the case’s third trial, the court determined that his confession qualified for leniency and a reduced sentence, although the ruling can be appealed.
In the first trial at Shilin District Court, Chen pleaded not guilty and was handed a life sentence, which was upheld in an appeal at the High Court, despite Chen’s later confession of guilt.
Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei Times
The High Court found that Chen’s confession did not qualify him for a reduced sentence.
Both courts also rejected a request by prosecutors to impose the death sentence.
However, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s initial ruling and sent the case back for a retrial at the High Court.
The victim, a Malaysian woman surnamed Chai (蔡), was 24 years old at the time of her death and a student at a Taipei university.
Chen first contacted Chai on Instagram in April 2022, then again on Oct. 3, after which their communication became more frequent.
He subsequently invited her to dinner on Oct. 7, following which he visited her rented accommodation multiple times.
On Oct. 13, Chen demanded Chai repay the NT$99,999 that he had lent her, and when she refused, he strangled and smothered her face with a pillow, causing her to suffocate to death.
Chen then attempted suicide, and as police and firefighters were reviving him, he confessed to the crime.
In the first trial, Chen pleaded not guilty and stated he had killed Chai at her request in a “joint suicide” attempt, requesting to be exempted from punishment.
The court ruled that Chen’s explanation did not contain genuine remorse and that the murder was the result of a monetary dispute.
In the second trial at the High Court in June last year, Chen pleaded guilty and sought a lighter sentence, although his offer of reconciliation with the family was rejected.
During today’s retrial, Chen expressed his love for the victim and stated to the court “I love her” and “I miss her,” asking the court for a second chance.
The retrial found that Chen made a confession and showed remorse, reducing his sentence to 18 years and 10 months.
Following the verdict, Chen smiled and pressed his palms together as he thanked the three judges.
On leaving the courthouse, Chen did not respond to media questions on whether he was pleased with the verdict and if he would appeal.
Lawyers representing Chai's family said they were not satisfied with the court's decision and would notify the prosecutors they would launch an appeal.
Additional reporting by Yang Kuo-wen
“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
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
RSS