Kaohsiung: The Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch has upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of fatally stabbing his upstairs neighbors, whom he believed had made excessive noise.

According to Focus Taiwan, the man, surnamed Wu, was found guilty of two counts of murder and sentenced to death on each count, along with lifelong deprivation of civil rights. The court's decision can still be appealed.

The court stated that Wu acted with direct intent to kill, fulfilling the Constitutional Court's requirement for the death penalty to be applied only for "the most serious crimes." Wu's motive for the killings was deemed trivial, and his hostile attitude during the investigation and trial suggested limited prospects for rehabilitation and resocialization.

Wu entered his neighbors' apartment on September 15, 2023, and fatally stabbed a woman surnamed Tsai in front of her children in the living room. He then proceeded to a bedroom where he killed her husband, surnamed Lo. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

After the attack, Wu attempted to flee on a motorcycle, discarding his clothes along the way. Police later identified him using surveillance footage and arrested him in Pingtung County.

The court also addressed the controversy surrounding capital punishment, noting that while the Constitutional Court has not deemed the death penalty unconstitutional, it has urged caution in its application. The standard of "the most serious crimes" serves as a benchmark for judicial assessment, emphasizing that even the killing of one or two individuals could warrant the death penalty in Taiwan.

Source: Focus Taiwan