TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Prosecutor-General Hsing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) on Monday filed an extraordinary appeal challenging a Supreme Court decision that upheld a life sentence in a robbery-homicide case.
Liu Chih-ming (劉志明) was convicted of robbing, sexually assaulting, and killing a retired teacher in 2014. The case had previously resulted in multiple death sentences across trials at the Kaohsiung District Court and Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung branch, including several retrials, according to CNA.
In a fourth retrial, however, the court ruled that the crime was random and unplanned and did not meet the threshold of “the most serious crimes” under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Liu’s sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court upheld that ruling on Monday, finalizing the life sentence. In response, the Supreme Prosecutors Office said there is no legal requirement that premeditation be used to determine whether a crime qualifies as “the most serious” or warrants the death penalty.
Prosecutors argued that Liu selected his victim at random in a public area, targeting an unspecified individual. His actions demonstrated a high level of danger, disregard for human life, and serious harm to society, they said.
According to case details, the incident occurred in December 2014 in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District. Liu, who was distressed over a breakup and unable to locate his former girlfriend, saw a woman preparing to drive away after shopping and decided to rob her vehicle, according to CNA.
As the victim, a retired teacher surnamed Chen (陳), opened her car door, Liu struck her with a hammer, causing her to collapse into the front passenger seat. When she showed signs of regaining consciousness, he struck her again.
After failing to operate the vehicle due to a gear lock, Liu took NT$2,000 (US$63) from Chen’s purse, sexually assaulted her, and fled. Chen later died from severe blood loss caused by 14 major wounds, including serious head injuries.
Prosecutors said the random nature of the attack made it more serious than crimes targeting specific individuals. They also argued that the ruling deviated from general legal reasoning and contained internal inconsistencies.
They said the court relied solely on the absence of premeditation to conclude that the crime did not meet the threshold of “the most serious crimes,” conflicting with prior Supreme Court decisions. Premeditation, they said, should be only one of several factors considered in sentencing.
Prosecutors further said the ruling failed to adequately assess Liu’s motive and did not incorporate the sexual assault into its sentencing analysis, leading to contradictory conclusions. The Supreme Prosecutors Office said Hsing filed the extraordinary appeal to safeguard the victim’s dignity, uphold social justice, and ensure consistency in the legal system.
An extraordinary appeal is a special legal remedy under Taiwan’s Code of Criminal Procedure. It allows the prosecutor-general to request that the Supreme Court revoke or correct a final criminal judgment if it is found to violate the law.
