Taichung-A death note left by an Air Force serviceman before he jumped from a Taichung apartment building Sunday in an attempted suicide after allegedly killing his two young sons showed that he committed the acts after refusing to sign divorce papers for his wife, police said.
In the note, the 25-year-old suspect surnamed Hsiao (?) wrote that he had refused to sign the divorce papers and would leave the family quietly. Local media have reported that his wife surnamed Liu (?) had asked to end the marriage in December due to years of quarrels.
According to the police, Hsiao had another fight with Liu at their residence in Taichung’s Tanzi District in the early hours of Sunday.
After Liu left the apartment following the fight, Hsiao allegedly committed the double homicide before jumping from the apartment building in an attempted suicide, the police said.
Doctors were still trying to resuscitate Hsiao as of press time, who is in critical condition with bone fractures and internal bleeding in his head.
Police are now questioning Liu to clarify the case.
Hsiao was found lying unconscious on the ground as paramedics arrived after receiving a call of a man having fallen from a Taichung building at around 2:20 a.m. early Sunday, the city’s Fire Bureau said.
After rushing the injured man to a nearby hospital, local police went to the couple’s residence, located on the third floor of the building, where they discovered the couple’s two sons, aged 2 and a half and 1 and a half, showing no signs of life.
The two boys were later pronounced dead by doctors and initial forensic tests showed that the elder son had a knife wound on his throat, police said.
Police did not elaborate on how the younger son was killed.
Investigators later found a death note which they believed to have been left by Hsiao, and a knife believed to be the murder weapon used on the elder son.
Local media reports quoted Facebook posts made by Hsiao early Sunday morning around the time of the double homicide, in which he had hinted that his wife was seeing another man.
“I will set you free,” he wrote, adding that however, “I will not allow another man to take care of our children.”
Air Force Colonel Liao Po-wen (???) of the Taichung-based 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, in which Hsiao served as a mechanic with the rank of private first class, told reporters that Hsiao had told his unit that he was having marital problems but did not elaborate.
The unit had been offering consultation sessions to Hsiao in the hope of resolving his domestic issues and was recently told that his relationship with his wife had improved, Liao said.
The Air Force is deeply saddened on learning of the tragedy and was offering assistance to the family to deal with the aftermath while assisting with the investigation, Liao added.
Meanwhile, an autopsy on the two boys’ bodies is slated to be conducted Tuesday to determine the cause of their deaths.
Anyone contemplating suicide is advised to seek help immediately by calling the government-funded hotline 1925 or 1995 run by Taiwan Lifeline International (TLI). Information on suicide prevention can be found on TLI’s website: http://www.life1995.org.tw.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel