Hsinchu, Taiwan – November 25, 2025 – A 29-year-old woman from Hsinchu, surnamed Lin, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Hsinchu District Court for fatally stabbing her 35-year-old live-in boyfriend, surnamed Chen, in their rented apartment. The fatal attack occurred after Lin suspected Chen of having an affair with his ex-girlfriend.
According to court records, the couple began dating in August 2022, experiencing multiple breakups and reconciliations. Their most recent reconciliation occurred in early June 2023. During this period, Lin sought psychiatric treatment for relationship and work-related stress and was diagnosed with persistent depression, bipolar disorder type II, nonspecific depression, and nonspecific insomnia.
On June 13th, Chen’s birthday, the couple went to a karaoke bar and consumed nearly 36 cans of beer. Both had high blood alcohol concentrations at the time of returning to their apartment. Later that night, after Chen had fallen asleep, Lin asked him twice for a hug. When he refused, she became agitated, retrieved a 13-centimeter kitchen knife she had hidden under her pillow, and stabbed him in the chest, piercing his heart. She then stabbed him in the neck and back. Chen suffered severe injuries to his heart, right lung, and carotid artery, bleeding heavily and dying at the scene.
After the incident, Lin called her grandmother, confessing, “What should I do? I killed someone.” The grandmother alerted police, who arrived shortly afterward. Lin admitted to the killing at the scene.
During the trial, Lin claimed she had been a victim of domestic violence over the past two years, and that Chen’s comment, “Are you asking for a beating?” triggered her actions. However, the court found inconsistencies in her account of the abuse and did not accept it as a mitigating factor.
The judge acknowledged the brutality of the act but considered that the murder was not premeditated, that Lin had no prior criminal record, and took into account her difficult upbringing, including parents with addiction and involvement in the sex industry, parental divorce, and being raised by her grandmother. The court also noted that Lin had not reconciled with Chen’s family or offered an apology.
While prosecutors and the victim’s family had sought a life sentence, the court ultimately sentenced Lin to 16 years in prison for murder.