TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Prosecutors have dropped murder charges for a man surnamed Hsia (夏) who was convicted of a fake marriage to a high school boy with a NT$500 million (US$16.41 million) inheritance — just two hours before his death.
On Friday, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said they had reviewed evidence including the autopsy report, witness testimonies, and surveillance footage. They concluded the deceased fell from the building while still alive and was not affected by poisons or subjected to violent force.
Toxicology tests on the deceased’s blood, urine, and stomach contents found no common toxic substances or alcohol. No signs of compression or bleeding were observed in the soft tissues, no defensive wounds were found, nor were there signs of physical restraint.
The distance from the building to the spot where the deceased was found is 3.36 meters. Prosecutors reasoned that if the deceased had been conscious and had been forcibly thrown from the 10th-floor balcony, he would have instinctively resisted and tried to grab the railing to save himself, making it unlikely he would have landed so far from the building.
Investigators found palm and finger grip marks on the 10th-floor balcony, along with smear marks on the outer lower edge of the glass panels of the railing. DNA matching the deceased was detected on grip marks located on the left side of the railing.
Beer and beverage cans from a trash bin at the scene tested positive for anesthetic substances. However, neither the initial nor the subsequent autopsy found any trace of lidocaine or its metabolites in the deceased.
Experts conducted two reviews to determine whether the deceased had been injected with a high dose of potassium chloride or potassium phosphate before his heart stopped. Both reviews concluded there was no evidence to prove a lethal injection had occurred.
No evidence was found to implicate Hsia in the crime of murder. Based on the principles of evidence-based rulings and the presumption of innocence, prosecutors said the case has been closed with a decision not to indict, though the complainants may request reconsideration if they disagree with the decision.
In the case involving an 18-year-old high school student surnamed Lai (賴), the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court, in the second instance, determined that Hsia entered into a sham marriage with Lai for personal gain. On Jan. 23, the court dismissed Hsia's appeal and upheld a sentence of 18 months for the crime of causing a public official to make false entries in official documents.
