TAIPEI (8/13/2025) – A woman surnamed Zhong has been indicted for allegedly threatening a Taiwan High Court judge in an attempt to force a retrial in a controversial police shooting case that resulted in the death of her nephew.
The incident stems from a March 10, 2022 police chase in New Taipei City, when Zhonghe Branch officer Zhang Boyong pursued a Mercedes-Benz with a fake license plate that repeatedly ran red lights and drove recklessly. The vehicle, despite being caught in traffic, honked aggressively to clear a path before breaking through and fleeing at high speed. Officer Zhang exited his patrol car and fired three shots toward the fleeing vehicle, one of which struck passenger Zhong in the head. The victim later died in the hospital.
In July 2022, the New Taipei District Court acquitted Zhang of manslaughter. Prosecutors appealed, but the Taiwan High Court upheld the acquittal in May 2024, and the Supreme Court rejected a further appeal in September 2024.
Dissatisfied with the verdict, the victim’s aunt allegedly called the High Court’s Criminal Division on November 15, 2024, asking to speak with the presiding judge, a woman surnamed Lin. When told by a clerk that the court had only a presiding judge and no “president,” she allegedly instructed the clerk to deliver a threatening message. According to prosecutors, she claimed to have “contacted gangs and bought a gun” and said her primary target was Judge Lin. She allegedly added that she would consider “forgiving” if a retrial was granted, but otherwise would not let the matter go.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office concluded that the threats were intended to intimidate Judge Lin into overturning the final ruling and ordering a retrial. The woman has been charged with official coercion and making threats endangering personal safety.
