Ex-airman indicted in rape, murder case

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office is seeking a 20-year jail term for Hsu, who was described as a pedophile in need of long-term treatment in the indictment.

The charges were filed against Hsu after investigators discovered that Hsu's DNA and palm print matched those left at the scene of the crime, prosecutors said.

Hsu is also believed to be involved in two other cases of the rape and murder of school girls, they said.

He was arrested in January this year and is currently being held in detention.

Wrongful Execution of Chiang

Prosecutors also determined that the conviction of Chiang in 1997 was the result of a coerced confession. Chiang was later executed for the crime.

The Military Supreme Court Prosecutors Office filed an extraordinary appeal with the Supreme Court in May 2010 to reopen the case, following findings by the government watchdog, the Control Yuan, that Chiang was tortured by military investigators who were under pressure to crack the case.

According to Control Yuan members, Chiang was tortured by air force anti-espionage personnel continuously for 37 hours into making the confession that led to his conviction and execution.

The new findings have caused a nationwide outcry against the Ministry of National Defense (MND), and especially against Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏), former defense minister and then-head of Air Force Combat Command when Chiang's case took place.

However, prosecutors yesterday said Chen and the members of the anti-espionage unit who were involved in obtaining the confession from Chiang will face no charges, as too much time has passed to prosecute them.

Confession Under Torture

The torture of Chiang including aiming strong light at the soldier and forcing him to watch a videotape showing how the girl's body was dissected, prosecutors said.

Chiang later signed the confession because of his extremely unstable physical and mental state following the torture, prosecutors said.

Chiang later withdrew his confession and pleaded not guilty during his trials. He was nonetheless convicted and executed in August 1997 at the age of 21.

Prosecutors also noted Chen did not commit a crime. However, he did commit an “inappropriate act” by asking the anti-espionage unit's members, who were not military police officers, to look into the case.

Prosecutors, however, also said they will hand all related evidence regarding Chen's misconduct in the case to the Control Yuan for further investigation

The prosecutors also decided not to press charges against two military prosecutors involved in the case because of a lack of sufficient evidence.

Story continues on page 19

Compensation for Chiang's Mother

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