After 21 Years Pending in Court, Hsichih Trio Acquittal Now Final

After 21 Years Pending in Court, Hsichih Trio Acquittal Now Final

Source: All Taipei Newspapers

Sep. 3, 2012

On August 31, the Taiwan Provincial High Court ruled that the “Hsichih Trio,” three former death row inmates in a murder case stretching back 21 years, were not guilty because there was no evidence to prove that the trio had been at the crime scene, and insufficient evidence to prove that the trio had committed the double murders they were indicted for, adding that the ruling was final and no appeals would be allowed in accordance with Article 8 of the Speedy and Proper Criminal Trials Act (刑事妥速審判法). Moreover, according to the Criminal Compensation Act (刑事補償法), each of the three defendants could receive up to NT$25 million in compensation from the state.

The trio, i.e., Su Chien-ho (蘇建和), Liu Bin-lang (劉秉郎), Chuang Lin-hsun (莊林勳), and Wang Wen-hsiao (王文孝), were accused of robbing and murdering Wu Min-han (吳銘漢) and his wife, Yeh Ying-lan (葉盈蘭), in Hsichih, New Taipei City on March 24, 1991. The couple were found dead in their condo. They had been stabbed 79 times.

Wang Wen-hsiao, an army conscript, the only defendant whose bloody fingerprints were found at the crime scene, was tried under military law, sentenced to death, and executed on January 11, 1992. The other three defendants, i.e., Su Chien-ho (蘇建和), Chuang Lin-hsun (莊林勳), and Liu Bin-lang (劉秉郎), were sentenced to death in 1995. The case drew intense attention from legal circles and international human rights groups, which launched efforts to save the trio. Five justice ministers, including Ma Ying-jeou (1993-1996), declined to sign the execution orders for the trio.

Then Prosecutor-general Chen Han (陳涵) made three extraordinary appeals to the Supreme Court, but all of the appeals were rejected. However, in May 2000, the Taiwan Provincial High Court decided to reopen the case for a new trial after the defendants' attorney Su Yiu-chen (蘇友辰), also president of the Taipei-based Chinese Association for Human Rights, appealed for the third time based on new evidence, i.e., the discovery of victim Yeh Ying-lan's purse at Wang Wen-hsiao's residence.

On August 31, the Taiwan Provincial High Court ruled that the trio were not guilty and that the ruling was final on the following grounds: 1) Since the case was begun for a new trial in November 2000, the case had lasted for more than six years; 2) During the new trial, the Taiwan Provincial High Court had acquitted the trio and released them twice; and 3) In accordance with Article 8 of the Speedy and Proper Criminal Trials Act, a case shall not be appealed to the Supreme Court if it has been pending in court for more than six years. Therefore, no appeals to the Supreme Court will be allowed and the ruling is final.

Attachment : none