Imprisoned ex-Taipei ward chief indicted over inmate death

Taoyuan, May 27 (CNA) Chu Hsueh-chang (朱雪璋), a former Taipei ward chief serving a six-year sentence for a high-profile assault, was indicted Wednesday on charges of injury causing death after allegedly knocking over a fellow inmate with a walker.

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office issued the indictment following an investigation into the February 2025 incident at Taipei Prison in Taoyuan City.

According to prosecutors, Chu and a man surnamed Chang (張) were both inmates at the prison, which is operated by the Ministry of Justice's Agency of Corrections.

At around 2:38 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2025, while inside the Nursing and Care Center of the prison's Zhi-Shan Building, Chu reportedly became annoyed with Chang standing near the foot of his bed.

Chu allegedly used a walker to forcefully push Chang away, causing him to fall backward and strike the back of his head on the floor, prosecutors said.

Rather than seeking medical assistance, Chu allegedly ignored Chang and went back to sleep after the man collapsed, according to the indictment.

Chang was taken later that day to Taoyuan General Hospital for emergency treatment. Although he was discharged on March 26 and returned to the prison's care center, his injuries left him requiring around-the-clock assistance, prosecutors said.

On March 31, prison staff noticed Chang was in distress at around 8:30 p.m. and took him to the hospital again. He was pronounced dead at 10:26 p.m. that night.

Prosecutors said Chang died from head trauma and related complications, including intracranial hemorrhaging, brain contusions, brain damage and bronchitis.

According to prosecutors, Chu should have foreseen that forcefully pushing someone backward could cause fatal head injuries, but still carried out the act.

Chu was therefore indicted on charges of causing injury resulting in death, prosecutors said.

Chu, a former chief of Guangxin Ward in Taipei's Da'an District and martial artist, was previously convicted in connection with a 2016 knife attack on a rival.

After his six-year prison sentence was finalized in 2020, Chu briefly fled to China to evade prison, but was subsequently arrested by Chinese authorities and extradited back to Taiwan to serve his term.