The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/08
Translated and compiled by Shin-wei Chang
Cheng Chieh, a 21-year-old who went on a killing spree on the MRT leaving 
four dead and 22 injured last May, was sentenced to the death penalty in both the first and second instance respectively by a district court and the Taiwan High Court.
The decision of the Supreme Court would determine Cheng Chieh’s sentence, so the court held an appeal hearing for him to examine his opinions on April 7. This is the first case for a defendant to attend an appeal hearing.
Cheng’s three-point statement
In the debate, Cheng first apologized twice to the victims and their families. He said that he would not forgive the murderer if he were the family of the victims, so he did not expect to be forgiven.
Following his apology, Cheng expressed his appreciation for the Supreme Court giving him the chance to speak out. He said he wants to be executed as soon as possible, but he chose to cooperate because his lawyer has been working very hard for his case.
Finally, Cheng criticized the Agency of Corrections for being an “agency of punishment,” and expressed his dissatisfaction with the prison system. Cheng said that most criminals are discriminated by the society, and fail to find jobs after being released. [FULL STORY]
