Taiwan Court Orders Murderer Of Malaysian Student To Pay Family Compensation

TAIPEI, Nov 22 (Bernama-CNA) -- A court ruled in a civil proceeding on Thursday that a Taiwanese man who was sentenced life in prison in January 2024 for murdering a Malaysian student must pay over NT$6 million (US$196,020) in compensation to the victim's family, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

The Shilin District Court said that Chen Po-yen must pay NT$3,010,355 and NT$3,369,999 to the mother and father of the female university student he strangled to death, with interest to be calculated annually at five per cent from August 2023.

The court's ruling can be appealed.

Chen, who was 30 at the time of the crime, is currently serving a life sentence for killing the female university student identified by her surname Chai in Oct. 2022.

The Shilin District Court found Chen guilty of murder in January, a verdict that was upheld by the Taiwan High Court in June.

Chen confessed to suffocating Chai to death in her rented residence after she refused to return part of NT$99,999 that he had previously transferred into her account, according to a statement released by the Shilin District Court in January.

Chai, who was 24 years old at the time of her death, was studying at a Taipei university and working as a part-time model and live streamer on social media, according to police.

-- BERNAMA-CNA