20-year-old legal saga over Taiwan murder ends
Source: Xinhua |
September 1, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THREE men suspected of murdering a couple more than 20 years ago were acquitted for the last time by a Taiwan court yesterday, ending a controversial marathon legal process that had gripped the whole of Taiwan.
Su Chien-huo, Liu Ping-lang, and Chuang Lin-hsun, who were accused of murdering Wu Ming-han and his wife in 1991 at their home in Taipei County, later renamed New Taipei City, were cleared of all charges. Under Taiwan's legal system, the verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
The ruling puts an end to one of the most controversial murder cases in Taiwan's history, one that has raised serious questions about the conduct of the police officers and prosecutors who handled the case and sparked wide debate over the merits and deficiencies of the legal system.
The prime suspect, Wang Wen-hsiao, was found guilty and executed in 1992. Police interrogation of Wang had also implicated Su, Liu and Chuang.
Taiwan's courts have since given varying verdicts in the case as new pieces of evidence continued to surface.
In 1992, a district court declared the three suspects guilty and gave each of them a death sentence. Since then, various courts have given rulings that have ranged wildly from the death penalty to proclaiming the suspects innocent.
Each time, the court's ruling raised great controversy as the media and public fiercely debated not only the ruling itself but also the broader issue of the island's legal system.
Some argued that alleged illegal acts by police officers and prosecutors undermined the foundation of the case, but others worried whether the system could work efficiently when it came to nailing the real suspects in a highly complicated murder case.
The trials further gripped the attention of the public after media reported that the victims' son, only six years old at the time of the murder, was later diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and became completely paralyzed.
The tragic development aroused immense sympathy and some members of the public linked the son's illness to the great agony of a child forced to witness the brutal murder of his parents, a claim that was later medically refuted.
Taiwan authorities even turned to the expertise of Chinese-American crime scene investigator Henry Lee Chang-yu for help. In 2009, Lee, after reconstructing the crime scene, concluded in a report that Wang was probably the sole culprit in the murder, giving further weight to the suspects' claim of innocence.
Su Chien-huo, Liu Ping-lang, and Chuang Lin-hsun, who were accused of murdering Wu Ming-han and his wife in 1991 at their home in Taipei County, later renamed New Taipei City, were cleared of all charges. Under Taiwan's legal system, the verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
The ruling puts an end to one of the most controversial murder cases in Taiwan's history, one that has raised serious questions about the conduct of the police officers and prosecutors who handled the case and sparked wide debate over the merits and deficiencies of the legal system.
The prime suspect, Wang Wen-hsiao, was found guilty and executed in 1992. Police interrogation of Wang had also implicated Su, Liu and Chuang.
Taiwan's courts have since given varying verdicts in the case as new pieces of evidence continued to surface.
In 1992, a district court declared the three suspects guilty and gave each of them a death sentence. Since then, various courts have given rulings that have ranged wildly from the death penalty to proclaiming the suspects innocent.
Each time, the court's ruling raised great controversy as the media and public fiercely debated not only the ruling itself but also the broader issue of the island's legal system.
Some argued that alleged illegal acts by police officers and prosecutors undermined the foundation of the case, but others worried whether the system could work efficiently when it came to nailing the real suspects in a highly complicated murder case.
The trials further gripped the attention of the public after media reported that the victims' son, only six years old at the time of the murder, was later diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and became completely paralyzed.
The tragic development aroused immense sympathy and some members of the public linked the son's illness to the great agony of a child forced to witness the brutal murder of his parents, a claim that was later medically refuted.
Taiwan authorities even turned to the expertise of Chinese-American crime scene investigator Henry Lee Chang-yu for help. In 2009, Lee, after reconstructing the crime scene, concluded in a report that Wang was probably the sole culprit in the murder, giving further weight to the suspects' claim of innocence.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
