Death sentence of man in arson case commuted to life imprisonment

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) A man found guilty of arson that resulted in the deaths of eight family members in June 2022 had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment Wednesday as the Taiwan High Court determined he showed remorse by voluntarily turning himself in to the authorities.

The decision can still be appealed.

The death sentence handed down by the Hsinchu District Court to Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔) who set fire to his home in Hsinchu in 2022, resulting in the death of eight, including his mother, wife and three children, was commuted to life in prison by the Taiwan High Court, High Court spokesman Wang Ping-hsia (王屏夏) said.

It is the first such commutation since Taiwan's Constitutional Court issued its ruling in the Death Penalty Constitutionality Interpretation Case (Constitutional Court ruling No. 8, 2024), stating that the death penalty was only partially constitutional and should therefore only be used in the most extreme cases.

Wang said the High Court considered the fire that killed his mother and family members to be morally reprehensible and the murders particularly cruel. It concluded that this was the most serious of crimes and as such he should be punished with the death penalty.

However, according to the evidence, Chen showed remorse and self-blame when he surrendered, even indicating he could commit suicide. In addition, Chen voluntarily turned himself in and not because he thought it would secure him a reduced sentence, Wang added.

Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Article 62 of the Criminal Code on surrender and commutation, his death sentence was reduced to to life imprisonment, Wang said.

According to information provided by the High Court, Chen admitted that he committed arson, but denied that he had intended to kill his family members.

According to evidence presented in court, Chen was plagued by work and family issues as well as mounting debts. He also often argued with his parents, with whom he resided and ran a tire shop on Dongda Road in Hsinchu City.

On the evening of June 15, 2022, Chen left home after quarreling with his parents and returned with 20 liters of gasoline, which he splattered across the tire shop located on the ground floor of a two-story building where the extended family lived, before igniting a fire using a lighter and tissues.

The fire quickly spread to the second floor.

However, considering that Chen did not quarrel with other family members before the incident and begged firefighters to put out the fire to save his wife and children, the high court determined he had no criminal motive for killing the other family members who died, according to the High Court.