Taiwan court overturns death sentence for man convicted of raping, killing Malaysian student
A Taiwanese court has overturned the death sentence previously imposed on Liang Yu-chih for the rape and murder of a Malaysian university student, sentencing him instead to life imprisonment — a decision that has sparked anguish among the victim’s family.
- Taiwan’s High Court Kaohsiung Branch has overturned a death sentence against Liang Yu-chih, replacing it with life imprisonment after a second retrial.
- Liang had previously received the death penalty three times for the rape and murder of a Malaysian university student in 2020.
- Prosecutors have indicated they will appeal, while the victim’s family has expressed anguish over the ruling.
TAIWAN: Taiwan’s High Court Kaohsiung Branch on Thursday overturned the death sentence previously imposed on Liang Yu-chih for the rape and murder of a Malaysian female university student, sentencing him instead to life imprisonment.
The ruling came during a second retrial hearing conducted via video link.
In addition to life imprisonment and lifelong deprivation of civil rights, Liang was also sentenced to eight years in prison for robbery. The case may still be appealed.
Liang had previously been sentenced to death three times over the same case.
Brutal Crime Shocked Taiwan and Malaysia
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the crime occurred on the night of Oct 28, 2020.
The victim, a Malaysian student surnamed Chong, was a third-year student at Chang Jung Christian University in Tainan.
She was walking back to her dormitory from campus when she passed beneath an elevated walkway near the Taiwan Railways Shalun line.
Liang ambushed her, strangled her with a rope, and forcibly dragged her into his car.
After sexually assaulting and killing her, Liang drove around Tainan and Kaohsiung for more than 10 hours.
During that time, he used the victim’s belongings to buy food and drinks and even attempted to pay for fuel by mortgaging her mobile phone.
He later dumped her body in a mountainous area of Alian District in Kaohsiung.
Earlier Courts Deemed Crime “Extremely Serious”
In March 2022, the Kaohsiung Ciaotou District Court sentenced Liang to death, citing five key reasons:
- Premeditated and planned commission of the crime
- Extreme cruelty in the methods used
- Lack of remorse
- High risk of reoffending
- Severe threat to public safety
The Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch upheld the death sentence in a second-instance ruling in March 2023.
Supreme Court Interventions Led to Retrials
However, in June 2023, Taiwan’s Supreme Court ruled that the reasoning behind the death sentence contained inconsistencies and that evidence had not been fully examined.
It overturned part of the ruling and ordered a retrial.
While convictions for corpse abandonment and attempted sexual assault were finalised — resulting in prison terms of two years and two years and 10 months respectively — the most serious charges were sent back for further review.
In January last year, the first retrial again resulted in a death sentence.
The court ruled that Liang’s actions met the threshold of “the most serious crimes” under Taiwan’s Constitutional Interpretation No. 8 of 2024 and international human rights standards, citing his long-term planning, choice of a secluded location, preparation of tools, and direct intent to kill.
The court also ruled that Liang posed a high risk of committing sexual violence again and that rehabilitation was unlikely to reduce that risk, making permanent isolation necessary.
Life Sentence in Second Retrial
Despite this, the Supreme Court again overturned the ruling in April last year, citing insufficient evidence review and inadequate reasoning, and ordered a second retrial.
On Thursday, the High Court’s Kaohsiung branch reversed its earlier stance and sentenced Liang to life imprisonment instead of death.
Victim’s Family Expresses Anguish
The victim’s mother expressed deep anguish over the ruling, saying she could not accept the outcome.
“This verdict is impossible for us to accept,” she said, according to local media.
Prosecutors reacted swiftly to the decision.
The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office’s Kaohsiung branch said in a statement that it believed Liang had acted with premeditated and direct intent.
The statement said Liang had completed crimes of sexual assault, robbery, and murder within a short period, causing severe harm to the victim.
Prosecutors argued that these offences constituted a combined set of grave crimes that should be assessed as a whole and could not be separated. They added that the ruling contained legal errors and said they would appeal in accordance with the law.
Detailed grounds of appeal will be considered after the written judgment is received.
