Miaoli police yesterday announced they had made an arrest in the murder of a female National United University student from Miaoli County, after the body of a young woman, surnamed Lin (林) was discovered on Friday.
Chief suspect Lin Kun-han (林昆翰), 22, a male student at the university who was arrested on Saturday, had confessed to the murder, police said.
Police said they had found footwear and clothes hidden in Lin Kun-han’s apartment that were stained with blood, which on further examination was found to match the victim’s DNA.
Photo: CNA
According to the police, Lin Kun-han said he did not know the woman even though they lived in the same apartment building near the university.
Lin Kun-han was quoted by the police as saying that on Thursday afternoon he saw the woman outside her apartment with bags, at which point he asked her whether she needed help moving, to which she said no.
Police said Lin Kun-han allegedly later went to the woman’s room twice to ask for her cellphone number, but she refused to give it to him.
He grabbed her cellphone from the table and tried to dial his own number. That reportedly led to a physical conflict as the woman tried to get her cellphone back, at which point Lin Kun-han allegedly pulled out a knife, which he had on his person, and attacked her.
The woman was stabbed a total of 17 times and died at the scene, police said.
Police added that according to the suspect, after the attack he undressed the woman and attempted to rape her, but failed.
Police said Lin Kun-han has no medical history of mental illness, but added that investigators would examine the matter further.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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