Prosecutors yesterday upheld the decision not to charge a man with murder in connection with the death of a high-school student, who had NT$500 million (US$15.62 million) in property assets, just two hours after the pair got married.
The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said there was insufficient evidence of foul play in the 18-year-old’s death after re-examining surveillance footage and autopsy reports, and reinterviewing witnesses.
The office added that the plaintiffs could apply for reconsideration of the ruling.
Photo: Chen Chien-chi, Taipei Times
The decision upheld an earlier one from June 2023, when prosecutors dropped a murder charge against the defendant, surnamed Hsia (夏).
The case was reopened following an appeal by the family of the deceased student, surnamed Lai (賴).
The autopsy found no traces of common poisons or alcohol in Lai’s blood, urine or stomach contents, prosecutors said.
There were also no signs of trauma or bleeding in Lai’s nose, mouth or throat, nor any scratches or marks on his body indicating resistance or restraint.
The office added that Lai’s DNA was found on a rail of the balcony that he fell off.
Hsia and his father were accused of murdering Lai, who fell out of the building where Hsia lived and was pronounced dead shortly after on May 4, 2023.
Hsia is the son and assistant of a land administration agent who handled the case in which Lai was gifted NT$500 million of property by his father in January 2023.
Hsia and his father both witnessed the contract signing.
In May of that year, Hsia invited Lai to discuss his property and financial affairs, following the death of Lai’s father in April.
Hsia then persuaded Lai to marry him, under the guise that it would help him avoid disputes regarding inheritance with his father’s spouse, according to a January statement by the High Court’s Taichung branch.
Lai fell to his death shortly after they registered the marriage.
In a final ruling in January, Hsia was sentenced to 18 months for forgery after the court determined that his marriage to Lai was fraudulent.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators