Court orders murderer of Malaysian student to pay family compensation

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) A court ruled in a civil proceeding on Thursday that a Taiwanese man who was sentenced life in prison in January 2024 for murdering a Malaysian student must pay over NT$6 million (US$196,020) in compensation to the victim's family.

The Shilin District Court said that Chen Po-yen (陳柏諺) must pay NT$3,010,355 and NT$3,369,999 to the mother and father of the female university student he strangled to death, with interest to be calculated annually at 5 percent from August 2023.

The court's ruling can be appealed.

June 6: High Court upholds life sentence for killer of Malaysian student

Chen, who was 30 at the time of the crime, is currently serving a life sentence for killing the female university student identified by her surname Chai (蔡) in Oct. 2022.

The Shilin District Court found Chen guilty of murder in January, a verdict that was upheld by the Taiwan High Court in June.

Chen confessed to suffocating Chai to death in her rented residence after she refused to return part of NT$99,999 that he had previously transferred into her account, according to a statement released by the Shilin District Court in January.

Chai, who was 24 years old at the time of her death, was studying at a Taipei university and working as a part-time model and live streamer on social media, according to police.