Sentence for Malaysian student's murderer cut to 18 years in retrial

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) A man found guilty of murdering a Malaysian college student in Taipei in 2022 was sentenced Thursday to a reduced term of 18 years and 10 months following a retrial at the Taiwan High Court.

The High Court's verdict against convicted murderer Chen Po-yen (陳柏諺) came after Chen's original life sentence was invalidated by the Supreme Court last November.

The ruling can be appealed.

The case dates back to April 2022, when Chen contacted the 24-year-old Chai, who was then studying at a Taipei university, through the social media platform Instagram.

The two did not interact frequently; however, Chen contacted Chai again on Oct. 3 of that year. He subsequently visited her rental place multiple times.

On Oct. 13 that year, Chen demanded that Chai return part of the NT$99,999 (US$3,030) he had transferred to her bank account.

When Chai refused, Chen strangled her and smothered her face with a pillow, causing her to suffocate to death.

After committing the crime, Chen returned to his rental apartment in New Taipei's Yingge District and attempted suicide. While police and firefighters were rescuing him, he confessed to the crime.

In the first trial of the case, the Shilin District Court sentenced Chen to life imprisonment for murder -- a ruling that was upheld by the Taiwan High Court in 2024.

In a subsequent appeal by Chen, however, the Supreme Court ordered the High Court to retry the case.

Although Chen qualified as having turned himself in, the High Court did not reduce his sentence or provide a valid reason for not doing so, the Supreme Court found.

Following a retrial, the Taiwan High Court issued a new verdict Thursday, noting that Chen had sent information about the victim to his father before attempting suicide, and had admitted the crime to authorities after his suicide attempt.

Moreover, Chen's admission of guilt and expression of regret for the crime raised the possibility that he could be rehabilitated, the court said.

With the mitigating factors, the maximum penalty for Chen's crime is 20 years, the court said, ultimately deciding on a prison term of 18 years and 10 months.

Following the ruling, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office said it would wait to receive the verdict before deciding whether or not to appeal.