Court Observation Recruitment | The Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng Case: A Knife-Wielding Murder Without a Knife
Last edited: 2026-07-27
On May 9, 2024, the fourth retrial investigation hearing for the Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng case will take place.
Ten years ago, the Ch'iu brothers met with others to negotiate a debt, only to be ambushed upon arrival by more than ten people armed with wooden clubs who surrounded and attacked them. The court determined that amidst this chaos, Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng held a "pre-concealed fruit knife" and "stabbed the back of Cheng surnamed male who was running away with his back turned to Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng," resulting in Cheng's death.
However, the JRF and the pro bono legal team discovered numerous suspicious points in this case: "What Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng was holding in his hand was a mobile phone, and the clothing he wore made it impossible to conceal a fruit knife," "The fruit knife used in the crime was never seized in this case," and "Surveillance footage shows that the closest distance between Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng and Cheng was no less than 150 centimeters, making it impossible to stab Cheng even with a fruit knife," among others.
On February 21 of this year, the Supreme Court, via Criminal Ruling 112-Tai-Kang-1401, revoked the Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch Court's decision holding that the case lacked grounds for a retrial (Ruling 112-Sheng-Tsai-Geng-(2)-2) and ordered the Kaohsiung Branch Court to render a new ruling.
Since the JRF pro bono legal team filed the application for a retrial on behalf of Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng in September 2020, this case has come before the Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch Court for the fourth time in an attempt to knock on the doors of a retrial.
The path of wrongful conviction rescue requires all of us to join hands. We invite everyone to enter the courtroom with us and jointly pay attention to this case.
Date
May 9, 2024
Time
2:15 PM
Location
Courtroom 6, Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch Court (2F., No. 586, Mingcheng 3rd Rd., Gushan Dist., Kaohsiung City)
Remarks
After the hearing, full-time staff from the JRF will respond to questions regarding the case raised by members of the public attending the audience.
Overview of Controversies in the Ch'iu Sung-ch'eng Case
Contact
Legal Specialist Chang Hua-che
04-2329-2372 #13
ven@jrf.org.tw
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.