Taoyuan, Taiwan (8/15/2025)– The Taiwan High Court on Thursday upheld the life imprisonment verdict against a Filipino migrant worker convicted of killing and dismembering his compatriot girlfriend in Taoyuan two years ago.
The ruling concerns Mark Dave Velasco, aged in his 30s, who was found guilty of murdering 30-year-old Red Michelle Selda, also a Filipino migrant worker, following a violent altercation in their shared apartment in Zhongli District on July 17, 2023.
Investigations revealed that Velasco restrained Selda during an argument, strangled her until she lost consciousness, and then repeatedly stabbed her in the abdomen, chest, and neck with a screwdriver. Authorities said the attack caused fatal blood loss.
In a bid to conceal the crime, Velasco used a meat cleaver to dismember parts of Selda’s body, flushing some remains down the toilet and cleaning others with bleach. He placed bones and blood-stained clothing in plastic bags, which he disposed of in a dormitory garbage bin in Bade District. He then returned to the apartment to remove further traces of the killing and took her wallet and phone.
The gruesome crime was discovered when Selda’s employer and labor broker visited her residence after she failed to show up for work, finding her remains inside the apartment.
Velasco was apprehended and charged in September 2024. During his initial trial in November 2024, the Taoyuan District Court noted his lack of remorse and failure to reach a settlement with the victim’s family. He was sentenced to life in prison for murder, destruction of a corpse, and theft.
Challenging the verdict, Velasco filed an appeal, but the High Court ruled that the lower court’s judgment was appropriate and free of legal errors. The decision can still be brought before the Supreme Court.
