Su Yao-hui Acquitted of Attempted Murder After 30 Years: 'How Many 30 Years Does One Have in Life?'
Su Yao-hui, who was previously sentenced to 8 years for attempted murder, was acquitted in a retrial by the High Court after 30 years. He tearfully thanked his supporters, questioning how many 30-year periods one has in life. The court found flaws in the lie detector test and victim identification procedures, leading to insufficient evidence for conviction.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 17:14
- 🔍 Collected: April 29, 2026 at 18:01 (46 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 29, 2026 at 23:46 (5h 45m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei 29th) Su Yao-hui, who was previously sentenced to 8 years for attempted murder, was acquitted in a retrial by the High Court today. Su, who attended the verdict, choked up as he thanked all those who supported him. He said, "This case has been going on for 30 years since 1997. How many 30-year periods does one have in life?"
Su Yao-hui was accused of attempted murder in Tucheng in 1997 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Su's application for a retrial was granted, and the High Court today ruled him not guilty due to insufficient evidence, citing flaws in the original lie detector test, graph interpretation, and victim identification procedures. The verdict can be appealed.
After the verdict, Su Yao-hui, at the entrance of the High Court, tearfully thanked all those who came to support him and recounted the hardships he and his wife were forced to endure over the years.
Su Yao-hui stated that in 2005, he was convicted, "I was wronged, and I chose judicial disobedience, not to go to prison." During his escape, he sought redress everywhere, and because he could not work, his wife had to support the family. What pained him most was that on June 4, 2013, his only son, on the day of his junior high school graduation, went barbecuing by the river and was pushed into the river by friends and died. "At that time, I was on the run and couldn't attend his funeral. My wrongful conviction combined with the pain of losing my son, how tragic it was."
Su Yao-hui said that he finally sought redress from then-Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng, who initiated an investigation. After Chen resigned, the case was transferred to another Control Yuan member, Kao Yung-cheng. Kao introduced him to the Taiwan Innocence Project, and through everyone's efforts, he finally received today's not-guilty verdict, "clearing my name."
Su Yao-hui's wife, Hsieh Yi-ling, said that these 30 years have truly been an extremely long torment for them, almost "so long that even breathing hurt." In addition to thanking all the lawyers and volunteers for their support, she also hopes that the emotional damage suffered due to the wrongful conviction over the years can be seen, heard, and compensated by the state.
Hsieh Yi-ling also particularly thanked Chen Lung-chi, another exoneree who had experienced judicial disobedience and came to support them, for accompanying and encouraging them on the path to exoneration, so they would not be alone and helpless.
Chen Lung-chi lamented, "Only you know if you made a mistake. Why should you be imprisoned for something you didn't do?" He said that the current judicial system neither formally apologizes to those wrongly convicted nor provides any compensation to those who practice judicial disobedience. Therefore, he calls on the Judicial Yuan to address this issue, mend the loopholes in the system, and prevent people whose lives have been largely ruined by wrongful convictions from suffering further.
Luo Shih-hsiang, Executive Director of the Taiwan Innocence Project, stated that this case not only revealed problems such as flaws in lie detector tests and identification but also exposed loopholes in the current criminal compensation law. He stated that the National Conference on Judicial Reform in 2017 proposed that the state should "improve the criminal compensation legal system" and provide compensation even in cases where personal liberty was not restricted. He regretted that the amendment has not yet been successful.
Luo Shih-hsiang said that Su Yao-hui endured 18 years of judicial disobedience, and the suffering he experienced is unimaginable to ordinary people. He hopes that through this not-guilty verdict, judicial authorities will once again seriously address the harm of wrongful convictions and promote relevant reforms.
Lawyer Chien Ming-yu, a pro bono lawyer in this case, said he was very happy that Mr. Su and his wife's persistence allowed them to receive this not-guilty result today.
Lawyer Hung Wei-te said he was very pleased that the judge was willing to acknowledge in court the many years of judicial torment Su Yao-hui suffered due to this case. For all judicial practitioners, it should be examined why such errors occur in the judiciary. While wishing Su Yao-hui's acquittal, he also called on prosecutors not to appeal again.
Finally, lawyer Yeh Chien-ting, convener of the pro bono legal team for this case, stated that Mr. Su and his wife have gone through nearly 30 years of hardship, and he is very grateful that the collegiate panel made a not-guilty decision today, allowing them to finally walk out of court with their heads held high and openly. Yeh Chien-ting also emphasized that the collegiate panel's decision today has highly significant implications for Taiwan's criminal justice system. In the future, it should strive to establish due legal procedures and error prevention mechanisms for identification procedures and lie detector evidence, thereby reducing the risk of wrongful convictions and preventing another Su Yao-hui case from happening again. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150429
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(Central News Agency reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei 29th) Su Yao-hui, who was previously sentenced to 8 years for attempted murder, was acquitted in a retrial by the High Court today. Su, who attended the verdict, choked up as he thanked all those who supported him. He said, "This case has been going on for 30 years since 1997. How many 30-year periods does one have in life?"
Su Yao-hui was accused of attempted murder in Tucheng in 1997 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Su's application for a retrial was granted, and the High Court today ruled him not guilty due to insufficient evidence, citing flaws in the original lie detector test, graph interpretation, and victim identification procedures. The verdict can be appealed.
After the verdict, Su Yao-hui, at the entrance of the High Court, tearfully thanked all those who came to support him and recounted the hardships he and his wife were forced to endure over the years.
Su Yao-hui stated that in 2005, he was convicted, "I was wronged, and I chose judicial disobedience, not to go to prison." During his escape, he sought redress everywhere, and because he could not work, his wife had to support the family. What pained him most was that on June 4, 2013, his only son, on the day of his junior high school graduation, went barbecuing by the river and was pushed into the river by friends and died. "At that time, I was on the run and couldn't attend his funeral. My wrongful conviction combined with the pain of losing my son, how tragic it was."
Su Yao-hui said that he finally sought redress from then-Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng, who initiated an investigation. After Chen resigned, the case was transferred to another Control Yuan member, Kao Yung-cheng. Kao introduced him to the Taiwan Innocence Project, and through everyone's efforts, he finally received today's not-guilty verdict, "clearing my name."
Su Yao-hui's wife, Hsieh Yi-ling, said that these 30 years have truly been an extremely long torment for them, almost "so long that even breathing hurt." In addition to thanking all the lawyers and volunteers for their support, she also hopes that the emotional damage suffered due to the wrongful conviction over the years can be seen, heard, and compensated by the state.
Hsieh Yi-ling also particularly thanked Chen Lung-chi, another exoneree who had experienced judicial disobedience and came to support them, for accompanying and encouraging them on the path to exoneration, so they would not be alone and helpless.
Chen Lung-chi lamented, "Only you know if you made a mistake. Why should you be imprisoned for something you didn't do?" He said that the current judicial system neither formally apologizes to those wrongly convicted nor provides any compensation to those who practice judicial disobedience. Therefore, he calls on the Judicial Yuan to address this issue, mend the loopholes in the system, and prevent people whose lives have been largely ruined by wrongful convictions from suffering further.
Luo Shih-hsiang, Executive Director of the Taiwan Innocence Project, stated that this case not only revealed problems such as flaws in lie detector tests and identification but also exposed loopholes in the current criminal compensation law. He stated that the National Conference on Judicial Reform in 2017 proposed that the state should "improve the criminal compensation legal system" and provide compensation even in cases where personal liberty was not restricted. He regretted that the amendment has not yet been successful.
Luo Shih-hsiang said that Su Yao-hui endured 18 years of judicial disobedience, and the suffering he experienced is unimaginable to ordinary people. He hopes that through this not-guilty verdict, judicial authorities will once again seriously address the harm of wrongful convictions and promote relevant reforms.
Lawyer Chien Ming-yu, a pro bono lawyer in this case, said he was very happy that Mr. Su and his wife's persistence allowed them to receive this not-guilty result today.
Lawyer Hung Wei-te said he was very pleased that the judge was willing to acknowledge in court the many years of judicial torment Su Yao-hui suffered due to this case. For all judicial practitioners, it should be examined why such errors occur in the judiciary. While wishing Su Yao-hui's acquittal, he also called on prosecutors not to appeal again.
Finally, lawyer Yeh Chien-ting, convener of the pro bono legal team for this case, stated that Mr. Su and his wife have gone through nearly 30 years of hardship, and he is very grateful that the collegiate panel made a not-guilty decision today, allowing them to finally walk out of court with their heads held high and openly. Yeh Chien-ting also emphasized that the collegiate panel's decision today has highly significant implications for Taiwan's criminal justice system. In the future, it should strive to establish due legal procedures and error prevention mechanisms for identification procedures and lie detector evidence, thereby reducing the risk of wrongful convictions and preventing another Su Yao-hui case from happening again. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150429
Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to get the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio-visual content of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.