By RK Shih/Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The Taiwan High Court’s Kaohsiung Branch on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of fatally stabbing his upstairs neighbors in 2023, ruling that the crime met the legal threshold for “the most serious offenses” warranting capital punishment.
The defendant, surnamed Wu (吳), was found guilty of two counts of murder for killing a married couple surnamed Tsai (蔡) and Lo (羅), in their Lingya District apartment following repeated disputes over noise. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple stab wounds.
According to court findings, Wu entered the couple’s home on Sept. 15, 2023, and attacked Tsai in the living room in front of the couple’s two young children. He then moved into a bedroom, where he fatally stabbed Lo. The children later alerted building staff, leading to police involvement.
Wu fled the scene on a motorcycle, discarding the clothes he wore during the attack. Police tracked him down using surveillance footage and arrested him later that day in neighboring Pingtung County.
In its ruling, the court said Wu acted with clear intent to kill, noting that his motive, anger over noise complaints, was trivial given the severity of the crime. Judges also cited his hostile attitude during investigations and trial proceedings, concluding that he showed little remorse and limited potential for rehabilitation.
The court further emphasized that Taiwan’s Constitutional Court has not ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, but has instructed judges to apply it only in the gravest cases. The Kaohsiung bench stated that Wu’s actions — including the brutality of the attack and the presence of child witnesses — met that standard.
Wu had previously denied wrongdoing and, at one point, requested that the children be summoned to testify, a move that drew public criticism and was ultimately rejected by the court.
The ruling can still be appealed.
