New Taipei, Taiwan (September 16, 2025) — The New Taipei District Court has handed down the death penalty to 24-year-old Zhang Hongyi, who was convicted of brutally killing his wife, mother-in-law, and young stepson in May last year. The shocking crime, driven by personal disputes and financial greed, left the community reeling.
According to court documents, Zhang first targeted his 30-year-old wife late at night on April 30, 2024. While she was asleep in the couple’s bedroom, he pressed a pillow over her face and strangled her until she suffocated. Only hours later, around 3 a.m. on May 2, he entered the second bedroom and killed his 69-year-old mother-in-law by manually strangling her.
Later that same day, at about 5 p.m., Zhang turned on his 3-year-old stepson. He allegedly used his hands and a charging cable to strangle the child before stuffing a towel into his mouth, causing his death.
After the murders, Zhang stole bankbooks, IDs, credit cards, jewelry, and cash belonging to his wife and mother-in-law. On May 3, he withdrew NT$150,000 from his mother-in-law’s savings account. He then fled to Taichung with his pet Pomeranian, “Nuomi,” using stolen credit cards to finance his escape. Records showed he spent over NT$420,000 between May 4 and 9, including topping up an online gambling account.
Authorities eventually tracked him down on May 12, ending a 10-day manhunt. At the time of his arrest, Zhang still had the family dog with him.
The court ruled that Zhang’s actions were “extremely cruel” and showed no regard for human life. He was found guilty of multiple counts of murder, theft, and fraud. The death sentence was issued today, underscoring the severity of the case that had horrified the public since news of the killings first broke.
