A lay-judge panel at the New Taipei District Court gave two life sentences to a man who killed his wife and sister-in-law on a street in July 2025. Criticism centers on the interpretation of 'killing multiple people,' a condition for the death penalty.
A citizen-judge panel at the New Taipei District Court sentenced a defendant who killed his wife and sister-in-law with a kitchen knife on a street in July 2025 to two life sentences, and did not impose the death penalty. Public opinion has been in uproar since the ruling became known.
광고 문의 · 300×250The core of the dispute is the court's explanation. According to the ruling, the concept of 'killing multiple people' defined by the Constitutional Court requires three or more victims, and since the defendant killed two, he did not meet the condition for the death penalty.
The court stressed that it followed the 'strictest and most proper legal procedure.' In Taiwan, a death sentence needs unanimity among professional judges and the consent of at least two-thirds of the lay judges. The court found that prosecutors had not sufficiently proved premeditation, a plan for serial killings or a high risk of reoffending.
The victims' father criticized the judges, asking why killing two people in succession is not 'killing multiple people.' Commentary went as far as saying such an interpretation creates a 'paradise for murderers,' and some criticized professional judges for using lay judges as a shield.
How to maintain and limit the death penalty is a long-running debate in Taiwan. The ruling again exposes the gap between a court strictly applying requirements and the justice people feel. Whether the appeal changes the outcome remains to be seen.
