Suspect arrested for home-invasion murder of elderly woman in Kaohsiung City
A suspect was arrested in Tainan City today, after an elderly woman was found dead in her home in Kaohsiung City Wednesday, April 17.
At around 8:00am Wednesday, the son of the 78-year-old woman named Wei, paid his mother a visit as was his daily routine, only to find the glass on the front door broken, and his mothers lifeless body in her bedroom.
Paramedics who responded to the son’s 119 call found that Ms Wei was already dead and had blood oozing out of her mouth and nose.
Police investigators immediately suspected that Ms Wei may have been murdered, due to the glass on the front door being broken from the outside, and signs that the house had been rummaged through.
There were two empty bottles of alcohol on the bed, one broken bottle on the floor, and alcohol had been poured onto the bed, giving the impression that Ms Wei may have been drunk, and had died accidentally.
However, Ms Wei’s son said that his mother was not a drinker.
On Thursday, forensics examinations had concluded that it was probable that Ms Wei had died after somebody pinched her nose and blocked her mouth, leading to death by suffocation.
Street-side surveillance cameras showed a man arrive at the end of the alley in Zuoying District, where Ms Wei lived alone, at around 2:00am. The suspect was then seen leaving at around 5:00am.
The license plate of the scooter was used to trace the owner, a 29-year-old man named Zhou (周).
Police learned that Zhou had arranged to meet a friend at a convenience store in Guiren District, Tainan City at 4:00am this morning, April 20.
Police officers went to arrest Zhou, but the suspect fled upon seeing the officers, leading to a chase for around 500 meters. Police fired a warning shot during the chase, and Zhou finally gave up after running into a muddy field, unable to run any further with his feet sinking into the mud.
Police found Zhou in possession of jewelry, cash, and other evidence from the burglary. Zhou also possessed a pipe and a small bag of amphetamine.
Zhou confessed to his crimes, admitting that usually working as casual laborer on construction sites, he had been unemployed lately, and needed money.
In the early morning hours of April 17, Zhou broke the glass on the door with a rock, and rummaged around on the first floor, finding NT$5,000 cash in a cabinet.
Thinking nobody was home, he then went to the second floor and turned on the light. Unexpectedly, the elderly woman woke up and began screaming.
Out of fear of being caught, Zhou pinched the woman’s nose and covered her mouth. A short time later, the woman’s body went limp.
He had not intended to kill Ms Wei, Zhou told police.
After Ms Wei died, Zhou then gathered bottles of alcohol and attempted to cover up the murder by making it look like an accident. Zhou then continued to rummage through the house for more valuables.
Police handed Zhou over to prosecutors to face charges for murder, robbery, and drug offences.
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Sources: Liberty Times Network, United Daily News (1), United Daily News (2), Liberty Times Network, Apple Daily.
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