TAIWAN. HIGH COURT UPHOLDS TRIO'S SENTENCES AFTER DOUBLE MURDER

June 9, 2008: a man received two death sentences and his two accomplices were sentenced to life in jail for the murder of two people in Tainan County.
The Taiwan High Courts Tainan branch handed down two death sentences to Ko Shih-ming for the murders of Chen Ching-chung and Ko Yu-mei . His accomplices Chiang Wu-che and Chen Chun-chieh received life sentences.The ruling upheld sentences handed down in December 2007 by the Tainan District Court.
The High Court said in its ruling that the severity of the sentences was a result of the callousness with which the crimes had been committed.The trio may appeal to the Supreme Court, the ruling said.The bodies of farmer Ko Yu-mei, a resident of Nanhua Township in Tainan County, and Chen Ching-chung were found near Ko Yu-meis fruit farm on September 15, 2007. The three strangled Ko Yu-mei after a land dispute, and murdered Chen Ching-chung when she discovered them disposing of the body. (Sources: Taipei Times, 10/06/2008)