10-year sentence given to Thai man for 2023 Miaoli killing upheld

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) The Supreme Court has upheld the jail sentence of 10 years and six months given to a Thai national found guilty of killing his compatriot nearly two years ago in Miaoli County.

According to a recent court document, the verdict against Ladta Aphisit, a former employee of a construction firm in Miaoli's Tongluo Township, is final and cannot be appealed.

The incident happened on Dec. 8, 2023, when the victim, Kamsookdee Wichin, scolded Ladta Aphisit for talking too loudly on the phone in their shared migrant worker dormitory, the court said.

Ladta Aphisit then stabbed Kamsookdee Wichin 11 times in the head, chest, abdomen and waist with a fruit knife.

Kamsookdee Wichin later died from multiple organ failure that led to septic shock.

Following the stabbing, Ladta Aphisit handed himself over to the police and confessed to the crime, the court said.

In August 2024, the Miaoli District Court sentenced Ladta Aphisit to nine years and 10 months in prison for the killing.

The verdict, however, was later overturned by the Taiwan High Court branch in Taichung, which viewed the original sentence as too lenient and instead raised it to 10 years and six months.

Another appeal quickly followed, but the Supreme Court subsequently upheld the lower court's ruling as it found no errors in its judgment.