Man paroled in girlfriend murder case detained for ex-girlfriend's death

Taoyuan, Nov. 12 (CNA) A Taoyuan man who served 10 years in prison for strangling and killing his girlfriend was ordered detained and held incommunicado Wednesday on suspicion of killing his ex-girlfriend, prosecutors said.

In a statement, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office said it received notification of a murder case on Monday from the Taoyuan Police Department's Pingzhen Precinct.

According to the police investigation, the suspect, a 49-year-old male surnamed Lee (李), admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Chou (周), near her residence in Pingzhen District early Monday morning.

Upon further questioning, Lee told prosecutors he had arranged to meet Chou to try to convince her to get back together.

Afraid of disturbing her relatives, Chou asked Lee to move their discussion to a nearby vacant lot, where Lee became angered by Chou's "attitude" and strangled her to death, prosecutors said.

The Taoyuan District Court on Wednesday approved prosecutors' request to detain and hold Lee incommunicado as he is investigated on charges of murder, the statement said.

Lee was previously sentenced to 18.5 years in prison in 2009 for strangling to death his then-girlfriend in Taoyuan's Yangmei District in 2008.

He was ultimately paroled for good behavior in 2019, after serving 10 years, and recently completed probation, according to sources with knowledge of the case.

Under the Criminal Code, murder is punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment of at least 10 years, depending on the specific nature of the crime.

Taiwan's Cabinet approved a draft bill in late October to strip the possibility of parole for criminals sentenced to 10 years or more for murder, attempted murder, and child abuse resulting in severe injury or death. The bill needs to be approved by the Legislature to become law.