Court finds man behind shooting of Sean Lien was not mentally disturbed

One man died and Lien sustained a critical face wound in the shooting incident at a campaign rally on the eve of the country's first poll to elect the heads of five municipalities in late November 2010.

Lin Cheng-wei, known by the nickname “Horse Face,” was arrested and charged with murder. The prosecution is seeking the death sentence for him.

Medical professionals told the Banciao District Court in a preliminary hearing on Monday that Lin's mental condition at the time was normal.

Feng Tso-jung, a mental health doctor at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City, said joint examinations and mental health tests found that Lin was “completely normal.”

Furthermore, if Lin's brain had been damaged, as suspected by those who cited his record of drug use, his intelligence level would have been affected, but IQ tests showed that his IQ was normal, Feng said.

Lien, who reportedly recovered from his wounds in 10 days, said he wanted to know the motive behind the shooting and the source of the gun Lin used to try to kill him.

Lien's lawyers said motive is an important factor in court verdicts but the court has not been able to determine the motive behind the shooting or where the gun originated.

The lawyers have asked the court to order another round of mental health checks on Lin, saying the truth will be revealed.

The defense and the prosecution are requesting an examination of the evidence, a request that the judges in the case will decide on jointly, the presiding judge said.

The court will hold a hearing on the matter on March 21.

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