Murder Suspect Held in Custody 有逃亡滅證之虞 法院裁押殺警案林嫌

Lin Hsin-wu, the man who killed two Tainan police officers, was captured on Aug. 23. Prosecutors questioned him and applied to a court to keep him detained, as he is suspected of committing murder and other serious crimes and had also fled. Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen issued three orders following these shocking murders.

Lin Hsin-wu killed two Tainan police officers and went on the run for 17 hours before he was finally captured in Hsinchu. He was brought back to Tainan, questioned, and then sent to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office for another round of questioning. On Aug. 23, prosecutors applied to a court to keep Lin detained, reasoning he is suspected of committing serious crimes including murder that are punishable by at least five years, and had also fled.

Lin Chung-pin, Dep. Chief Prosecutor, Tainan District Prosecutors Office: “After prosecutors questioned him, they considered that the defendant committed crimes including murder, fleeing, and theft. He is also suspected of violating the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act. As the crimes he is suspected of committing are serious, and he did flee, and we consider he may flee or destroy evidence, we applied to a court for his detention. ”

Lin's mother has her household residence in Kaohsiung's Fengshan District, but lives in Tainan at her daughter's house. She said her son needs to take responsibility for his mistakes.

Suspect's Mother: “Do you think he would have done that (murdered police officers) if he were obedient? I don't know what he did, and he wouldn't have told me anyway. He needs to assume responsibility, and he's not supporting me anyway. He hasn't given me money for a long time. How am I supposed to know what to do?”

Huang Chao-hsiung, Kaohsiung City Borough Chief: “It shouldn't be too difficult (for the suspect's mother), she's used to it as she feels he hasn't supported her from the time he was young until he grew up.”

At one point when investigating the murders, the Tainan police listed a wrong person as a suspect, causing everyone to be on the lookout for a fugitive surnamed Chen. During a press conference on Aug. 23, the Executive Yuan said the police should apologize if they made a mistake as well as determine the relevant responsibility. Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che said what's most important now is not affecting the police's morale.

Huang Wei-che, Mayor, Tainan City: “It wasn't actually the police that announced that the suspect was a fugitive surnamed Chen. I think we need to empathize with the hard work police officers put into handling cases and I hope this won't affect their morale right now. We want them to continue having the ability and energy to protect the lives, property, and safety of city residents. That's more important.”

This incident has brought urgency to amendments to the Act Governing the Use of Police Weapons. On Aug. 23, President Tsai Ing-wen issued three commands, ordering the Executive Yuan and relevant ministries to expedite amendments to the act, strengthen police equipment, and comprehensively review standards for minimum security prisons.

台南殺警案震驚全國，兇手林姓嫌犯在歷經17小時逃亡後，最後在新竹落網，帶回台南訊後移送台南地檢署複訊。而23日晚間，檢方認為認為林姓被告涉犯殺人等罪嫌重大，所犯是最輕本刑5年以上的重罪，且有逃亡之事實，向法院聲請羈押林嫌。

台南地檢署襄閱主任檢察官林仲斌指出：「檢察官訊問後，認為被告他犯了殺人、逃亡、脫逃罪、殺人罪，還有竊盜、強盜，還有違反槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例等罪嫌，認為他犯罪嫌疑重大，而且他確實有逃亡事實，而且有逃亡之虞，而且他有滅證之慮，所以向法院申請羈押。」

而林嫌母親雖然戶籍掛在高雄鳳山，但目前都住台南女兒家，生活並不好過。談及兒子殺警行為，表示林嫌應自己承擔自己的過錯。

林嫌母親表示：「他如果會聽話，你覺得他會去做那件事（殺警）？我也不知道他在做什麼，他也不會跟我說什麼，要怎麼辦，他就自己去負責。他也沒有在養我，從以前到現在也沒再給我錢，我怎知道要怎辦？」

戶籍地里長黃昭雄則說：「（林嫌母親）也不會很難過啦，習慣了啦，他媽媽認為他（林嫌）從小到大又沒養過我。」

台南市警方偵辦過程也傳出找錯人的狀況，造成全民肉搜另外一名陳姓通緝犯。行政院23日下午在記者會上表示，若是警方造成的話，應該要致最大歉意，相關責任也要由警方認真審慎做調查。台南市長黃偉哲則表示，目前不要影響警察的士氣才是最重要的。

黃偉哲說：「說是（陳姓通緝犯）警方公布的，事實上也不是警方公布，所以我覺得我們要體諒警察辦案的辛勞，希望現階段還是不要影響警察的士氣，要讓警察還有能力、能量來維護市民的生命財產安全，這比較重要。」

這起殺警案，也讓《警械使用條例》再被拿出來討論，總統蔡英文23日也下達3大指示，要行政院及相關部會加速推動警械使用條例的修法、強化警察執勤設備、通盤檢討外役監標準。