TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A high court in Kaohsiung on Wednesday upheld the death sentence for a man who confessed to murdering a Malaysian student.
Liang Yu-chih (梁育誌) was once again sentenced to death in a retrial for the murder of a Malaysian student at Chang Jung Christian University in 2020. The ruling marks the first death sentence following a constitutional interpretation of the death penalty issued in September.
Kaohsiung High Court said the collegiate panel unanimously decided on the death sentence. This was based on Liang’s premeditated intent to commit murder, the cruel means, and his lack of potential for rehabilitation.
On Sept. 20, the Constitutional Court declared that capital punishment is constitutional. However, the court said its application should be limited to the most serious crimes, be unanimous among a panel of judges, and exempt people with psychosocial disabilities.
Li Shu-hui (李淑惠), the administrative judge at Kaohsiung High Court, listed three reasons for the verdict. First, Liang planned the crime over an extended period and deliberately chose a remote location to commit the crime, waiting for a lone female student.
Second, he battered the victim's face and body and strangled her with a rope. This fitted the Constitutional Court's definition of most serious crimes.
Third, Liang lived with his family, was financially stable, and held a commercial bus driver's license. It was not until he quit his job seeking higher pay that he experienced financial hardship, leading to a sense of helplessness that he claimed motivated the murder.
The panel of judges determined Liang's antisocial personality was deeply ingrained, rendering psychiatric treatment ineffective. They believed that his risk of recidivism was very high.
The panel deemed it necessary to deprive Liang of his life and permanently isolate him from society. The judges unanimously sentenced him to death and stripped him of his civil rights for life.
The case can still be appealed and will be forwarded for further review as required by law.
