Subway killer given death sentence
Print Edition
A FORMER college student was sentenced to death in Taiwan yesterday for killing four people and wounding more than 20 others in a subway stabbing spree that shocked the island last year.
Cheng Chieh, 22, will face a firing squad after he was convicted on four counts of murder and 22 counts of attempted murder for the May 21 attack in Taipei.
“The judges sentenced Cheng to death as his means were brutal and his crimes were severe, while he had shown no remorse,” said Lien Yu-chun, a spokeswoman for the New Taipei district court.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Cheng, saying psychological evaluations showed he was not suffering from any mental disorder when he committed the crime.
Cheng, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was expelled by his university after the attack and was described by prosecutors as “anti-society, narcissistic, immature and pessimistic.”
Cheng’s parents initially asked for him to be sentenced to death to help ease the pain inflicted on the victims and their relatives, calling their son’s actions “unforgivable.”
However, they recently wrote to the judges in his case saying that they were willing to accompany him to receive counselling in the future “if there is still a chance for him,” the district court said.
Cheng pleaded guilty in his first court appearance last August, nearly three months after he used a long knife to stab travelers on a subway train, sending hundreds of people fleeing.
When the train pulled in to the next station, Cheng fled and was chased by police before being overwhelmed by a group of security officials and commuters.
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