Su Yao-hui Acquitted in Retrial After 8-Year Sentence for Attempted Murder Overturned Following 29-Year Legal Battle

A man named Su Yao-hui, suspected of an attempted murder involving a couple in Tucheng in 1997, was previously sentenced to 8 years in prison. However, the Taiwan High Court recently identified significant flaws in the polygraph interpretation and determined that the police identification process was highly suggestive. After granting a retrial, the court delivered a not-guilty verdict today. Su, visibly emotional after hearing the verdict, expressed his gratitude to his lawyers. The case dates back nearly 30 years to November 27, 1997, when two men allegedly attacked a couple with knives in Tucheng, New Taipei City. Although the victims initially identified Su from photos provided by the police, the High Court's review found that the photo-identification process was improperly conducted. Furthermore, testimony from a former investigator revealed that the interpretation of Su's polygraph charts was clearly erroneous. To avoid a miscarriage of justice, the court ordered a retrial last October, which culminated in today's acquittal, finally restoring Su's reputation after decades of fleeing and legal struggle with help from the Taiwan Innocence Project.