Man faces murder charge over hit-and-run - Taipei Times

A man turned himself in to police in Taichung yesterday after allegedly hitting a woman with his car, making a U-turn and striking her again, before fleeing the scene, local authorities said.

The woman, a nurse, died.

The man, surnamed Lin (林), was handed over to prosecutors on homicide and hit-and-run charges, with recommendations that he be detained, the Taichung Police Bureau's First Precinct said.

Photo copied by Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times

The precinct said that it received a report of the incident at 1:10am.

The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), was taken to a hospital, where efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead, police said.

Lin allegedly struck Chen as she was crossing at a crosswalk and did not stop, but instead made a U-turn and struck her again before driving off, police said.

Lin appeared disoriented when taken into custody, prompting police to conduct a breath alcohol test and a saliva drug test, they said.

He tested negative for alcohol and drugs, they said.

Police said they were questioning Lin to determine a motive for allegedly striking Chen a second time.

Prosecutors later asked the Taichung District Court to detain him, and prohibit communication and visits.

Lawyer Liu Chien-chih (劉建志), who is not involved in the case, said that a fatal traffic incident caused by negligence would ordinarily fall under negligent homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

However, a deliberate second collision could amount to murder if homicidal intent and causation are established in court, Liu said, adding that the charge carries a sentence of death, life imprisonment or imprisonment of at least 10 years.

The victim's family could also seek compensation, meaning the offender might not necessarily end up paying less if a vehicle-collision victim is dead, as some people believe, he said.

Additional reporting by Chen Chien-chih