The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the life sentence for a man who was found guilty of taking part in the kidnapping and murder of a friend’s neighbor, and spent more than 20 years on the run before being caught in Kaohsiung in April last year.
The case dates back to 2002, when the man, Wu Chiu-piao (巫秋標), and two others allegedly joined their friend, Tsai Feng-tsung (蔡峰宗), in plotting to kidnap Tsai’s neighbor, surnamed Lee (李), who had inherited a large sum of money.
The group allegedly staged a traffic accident in Tainan’s East District (東區), intentionally bumping into Lee’s car and then seizing him when he got out to assess the damage.
They allegedly then contacted Lee’s family, demanding NT$15 million (US$463,937) in exchange for his release.
However, when ransom negotiations stalled the kidnappers allegedly tied Lee up inside their car, doused it in diesel and set it on fire, burning Lee to death.
Tsai and the two other men, Lee Te-jung (李德榮) and Wu Jung-fu (吳榮福), were arrested. Lee Te-jung, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of starting the fire that killed the victim, while Tsai and Wu Jung-fu received life sentences.
Wu Chiu-piao went on the run. The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office issued a 25-year arrest warrant for him, which would have expired in April 2027.
Wu reportedly adopted a false identity and worked odd jobs to get by. He did not even contact his family after his parents died.
Wu was captured in Kaohsiung in April last year, when he gave officers a false identification number at a police checkpoint.
During the initial trial and first appeal, Wu admitted to kidnapping Lee for ransom, but denied that he had taken part in the murder.
He was found guilty of both crimes and sentenced to life in prison.
The Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday was the final verdict and cannot be appealed.
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