In 2024, a single saleswoman surnamed Su from New Taipei City took her children to a motel in Zhonghe District to drink and have sex. She first fed the children sleeping pills mixed with water, then smothered and strangled her two children with a pillow while they were sleeping. She attempted suicide after the crime and was eventually arrested and prosecuted. In May this year, the case was heard by the New Taipei District Court. In the first instance, she was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprivation of civil rights for life for the crime of intentional murder of a child by an adult. The case was appealed to the second instance, and the High Court opened the trial today (14). When asked by the media whether she felt regretful, Su said nothing and left in silence.
The case originated on May 14, 2024. A single saleswoman surnamed Su independently raised a pair of biological siblings. The year before last, at the request of her father, she quit her job at a department store to take care of her grandmother who was bedridden with cancer. It is suspected that due to excessive life and financial pressure, she took her children to stay in a motel on the eve of Mother’s Day last year. On the morning of the incident, Ms. Su mixed sleeping pills into the water and fed them to her sleeping children. Then she wrapped her daughter in a quilt, covered her face with a pillow, and strangled her daughter’s neck with her hands, causing her to suffocate to death. Not long after, Ms. Su killed her son again with the same method.
The prosecutors and police investigated that when Ms. Su committed the crime, her children kept struggling and scratched her arms. Afterwards, Ms. Su also attempted suicide, but failed due to mental and physical exhaustion until her best friend Ms. Xu went to the motel to visit her and reported the case.
The case was heard by the National Judges’ Division of the New Taipei District Court, who found that Ms. Su violated the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act, which states that an adult intentionally committed homicide against a child for a total of two crimes. They also considered that she was a single mother, but had the support of friends, family, and social welfare organizations. She wanted to commit suicide simply because she was depressed, and she believed that she had the right to kill her children because they were her own children. She ignored the children’s right to independent life, resulting in the death of two innocent, lively, tender, and innocent children, causing the children’s grandfather, uncle, and aunt to suffer indelible psychological trauma.
The national judge considered that Ms. Su, as a mother, had the obligation to protect and educate her children, but she violated her children’s trust and dependence and killed her two children, which seriously violated her responsibilities as a mother. She had been taking drugs for a long time since she was 17 years old. She knew that she would be in a trance after taking drugs when she was depressed. She often took ketamine and drugged coffee bags when she was with her children in the hotel, allowing herself to be more depressed. Therefore, she was determined to kill her two children. She let her children drink boiled water mixed with sleeping pills while they were sleeping, which was the means of killing.
The national judge considered that Ms. Su confessed to the crime and had no criminal record. She used to work as a salesgirl in a department store with an annual income of about 500,000 yuan. After losing her job, she did not actively look for a job, but still had money to continue buying drugs. It is obvious that the defendant did not commit this crime because of financial poverty. The first instance was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprivation of civil rights for life for the crime of intentional killing of children by adults. Ms. Su appealed the verdict. The High Court opened a closed trial today. After the trial, Ms. Su was remanded in custody at the detention center. When asked by the media, “Do you feel regret?” she did not answer, but left in silence.
