The Taichung branch of the Taiwan High Court yesterday overturned a life sentence for a man convicted of a brutal killing last year, handing down a reduced 18-year prison term and sparking outrage from the public over the sentence many perceive to be lenient.
The court cited 49-year-old Hsu Wen-ping’s (許文炳) claim of being intoxicated when he killed a friend, Huang Chun-hsiung (黃俊雄), with a knife and the defense’s argument that Hsu is an alcoholic as reasons for the reduced term.
In the first ruling by the Changhua District Court, Hsu was convicted of killing 51-year-old Huang on Jan. 17 last year and received a sentence of life in prison.
An investigation found that Hsu beat Huang, knocked him unconscious with a wooden stool and then stabbed him repeatedly with a utility knife.
Huang reportedly had 17 cuts on his head.
The investigation also found that Hsu cut off Huang’s testicles and left him to bleed to death.
“The men were friends, but got into a squabble over borrowed money and other disputes. Hsu carried out the killing with extreme cruelty and savagery, and he will receive a life sentence due to the vicious nature of the crime,” the Changhua court said in a statement after the first ruling.
When questioned by authorities, Hsu admitted to the killing, saying that Huang owed him NT$3,000 and that he suspected Huang was having a relationship with his ex-wife.
Hsu said that after drinking, he became emotional and rode his motorcycle to Huang’s residence in Changhua County, where they began fighting.
He said that he knocked Huang unconscious with a wooden stool and vaguely recalled stabbing him with a knife.
While he initially denied cutting off Huang’s testicles, Hsu was later quoted as saying: “I do not remember what happened, but later I found his testicles in my hands. I must have grabbed and pulled them off by force.”
However, after police showed him the evidence, Hsu admitted to using the knife to mutilate Huang.
Hsu and Huang often went out drinking together, said a friend of both men, who told police that Hsu was experienced in butchering wild turtles for food.
“The way he used the knife to cut up Huang’s head and chop off his testicles, Hsu was applying his experience, treating Huang just like a butchered turtle,” the friend said.
In yesterday’s ruling, the judges cited the results of a medical assessment by Taichung Veterans General Hospital submitted by the defense, which found that Hsu has alcohol use disorder and that his mental state was likely impaired during the murder due to alcohol.
The judges said Hsu qualified for a reduced term under Article 19 of the Criminal Code, which governs crimes committed by people with mental disorders and stipulates that “punishment may be reduced ... as a result of an obvious reduction in judgement.”
Many people were angered by the ruling, saying that the judges are out of touch with society.
Some said it could create a precedent, as would-be murderers could be shown leniency if they first consume alcohol, with others adding that the nation’s courts are encouraging drunk drivers to kill more people, as they would receive lenient punishment.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS