A murder case recently shocked Lingya District, Kaohsiung City, after a gathering of friends escalated into deadly violence over a romantic dispute. The conflict involved 26-year-old Xu and 20-year-old Wang. During the incident, a man surnamed Wu attacked Xu with a knife, fatally wounding him. The scene involved five men and one woman, resulting in one death and two injuries. Kaohsiung prosecutors concluded their investigation on October 16 and have formally charged Wu and his accomplice, Li, with murder.
The incident occurred on the morning of June 3 at Wang’s rental home, where she, Wu, and Li were drinking and chatting. Xu, who was pursuing Wang, arrived with friends Zheng and Cai to confront her. Heated emotions and alcohol quickly escalated an argument into a physical altercation.
During the clash, Wu attacked Xu with a folding knife, cutting himself in the process. Li attempted to retrieve a knife to assist but was restrained by others. Xu suffered 17 stab wounds, nine of which struck vital areas. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead. Wu sustained a finger injury, and Wang was scratched on the hand by Li while trying to intervene; fortunately, both survived.
Police arrived promptly after the report, finding Xu lying in a pool of blood and Wang in distress. Wu and Li were arrested at the scene and sent to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office. During interrogation, both claimed Xu had provoked the altercation and that they acted in self-defense, never intending to cause death.
Prosecutors, however, determined that Wu and Li’s actions exceeded the bounds of self-defense and constituted clear murder. Both have been formally indicted, and the case will proceed under the supervision of citizen judges.
