Supreme Court Wednesday upheld high court’s ruling, maintained life sentence

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/15
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Supreme Court on Wednesday sentenced Wang Ching-yu (王景

玉) to life in prison for the heinous murder he committed four years ago in Neihu District, Taipei City, CNA reported.

On March 28, 2016, the victim, 4, nicknamed “Little Light Bulb,” and her mother were on their way to an MRT station in Taipei to wait for the girl’s grandfather.

Wang, 36, came from behind the victim, who was riding a trolley bike at the time, and decapitated her with a cleaver in a random attack.

Prosecutors charged the suspect with murder and sought the death penalty. Shilin District Court judges adopted the defense’s argument that the suspect was suffering from a mental illness and sentenced him to life in prison, citing two international human rights conventions that prohibit the death penalty for defendants with disabilities or mental illness.    [FULL  STORY]