《TAIPEI TIMES》 Police arrest main suspect in triple homicide

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung.

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They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night.

The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang （張）, is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen （陳）, 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69.

The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District （三重） on Saturday.

Chang was holding a Pomeranian pet dog when he was escorted back to Sanchong Precinct and had a lawyer at his side when he was questioned and while he was recording his statement, the precinct’s criminal investigation division head Weng Chi-yuan （翁啟元） said at a media briefing yesterday.

After the case came to light on Saturday, a police task force began working on finding out what happened and the likely motives, Weng said.

After narrowing down their search, they identified Chang as the prime suspect and requested all relevant surveillance camera footage to track his movement, Weng added.

The suspect was found at a rental place in Taichung, and was arrested after 16 hours of working on the case, he said.

Chang previously operated a pawnshop, but had financial troubles with mounting debts, news reports said.

He allegedly worked with scammers, had been named as an accomplice and was wanted by the police, the reports said.

Weng did not confirm if Chang had confessed to the killing that allegedly took place on May 1, saying since the case is under investigation, he cannot reveal the details.

Other media reports said that Chang had borrowed NT$400,000 （US$12,341） from his wife’s mother, quarreled over the money and other issues, and likely strangled the family members when they demanded he pay them back.

Preliminary examination by forensic experts found no external injuries on the bodies, but autopsies are to be conducted to determine the cause of deaths.

This would verify whether Chang first fed the victims sedatives to render them unconscious.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES