Sole fingerprint leads to killer's arrest, 19 years later
2016/01/25 23:00:55
Photo courtesy of Taipei City Police Department
Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) Police arrested a man Sunday, nearly 19 years after he allegedly stabbed to death a woman in Jingmei, Taipei and robbed her of NT$60,000 (US$1,800) before fleeing, police said Monday.
The arrest was based on a single fingerprint of the man, surnamed Rao, left in a pool of blood at the computer store the woman was keeping in the absence of her husband in the evening of April 8, 1997.
Police officers knocked at Rao's door in his Xinzhuang, New Taipei residence at around 8:00 p.m. Sunday. When Rao answered the door, he was asked, "Have you been sleeping well over the past 19 years?" according to police.
A shocked Rao immediately admitted to the killing, which occurred when he was 16 years old. He was nabbed on suspicion of robbery and homicide and handed over to prosecutors.
Police authorities said they were now able to identify the suspect because of technological improvement in comparing the suspect's fingerprint.
Credit should go to then investigative team that kept a complete file on the case, including the fingerprint and other samples of evidence, police said.
(By Yu Kai-hsiang and S.C. Chang)
