2012 Hsinchu karaoke bar fire

Arson attack in Taiwan March 2026 East District, Hsinchu City March 12, 2012 Arson 5 4 Peng Jianyuan On March 12, 2012, in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, 34-year-old Peng Jianyuan set a fire in a karaoke bar, resulting in five deaths and four injuries.恨友不相挺 縱火殺5人 Hatred of his friends' lack of support, he set fire to a house and killed five people. http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085952/applesearch/%E6%81%A8%E5%8F%8B%E4%B8%8D%E7%9B%B8%E6%8C%BA%E7%B8%B1%E7%81%AB%E6%AE%BA5%E4%BA%BA https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213647/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085952/applesearch/%E6%81%A8%E5%8F%8B%E4%B8%8D%E7%9B%B8%E6%8C%BA%E7%B8%B1%E7%81%AB%E6%AE%BA5%E4%BA%BA 2016-03-04 2025-12-23 蘋果日報 zh-TW Peng was dissatisfied that his close friend Zhou Zhiqiang (also aged 34 at the time) refused to stand up for him. Peng therefore purchased NT$300 worth of gasoline and set fire to Zhou's KTV, located on Minghu Road, Hsinchu City.2014-09-03 KTV縱火致5人死 彭建源判死定讞 Arson at KTV kills five; Peng Chien-yuan sentenced to death. https://news.pts.org.tw/article/278263 2025-12-23 公視新聞網 PNN zh-Hant On September 2, 2014, the Supreme Court of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sentenced Peng to death, with the verdict finalized. Peng was detained at the Tucheng Detention Center in New Taipei City, awaiting execution by firing squad. In 2024, the Constitutional Court accepted a petition for constitutional interpretation regarding the death penalty submitted by Peng Jianyuan and 37 other death row inmates.死刑合憲或違憲爭點一次看 憲法法庭23日開庭辯論 A look at the constitutional or unconstitutional debate surrounding the death penalty: The Constitutional Court held a hearing on the 23rd. https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202404140026.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20240427140944/https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202404140026.aspx 2024-04-27 2025-12-23 中央社 CNA zh-Hant-TW Peng Jianyuan After completing military service, Peng associated with heavy drug users. He had a criminal record including drug offenses, unlawful detention, and domestic violence.放火後 狂男飆車去 After setting the fire, the man sped off in his car. http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085967/%E6%94%BE%E7%81%AB%E5%BE%8C%E7%8B%82%E7%94%B7%E9%A3%86%E8%BB%8A%E5%8E%BB https://web.archive.org/web/20170628170435/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085967/%E6%94%BE%E7%81%AB%E5%BE%8C%E7%8B%82%E7%94%B7%E9%A3%86%E8%BB%8A%E5%8E%BB 2017-06-28 2025-12-23 蘋果日報 zh-TW縱火燒死5人 求處死刑 Arsonist who killed five people seeks death penalty. https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/589889 https://web.archive.org/web/20190520224234/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/589889 2019-05-20 2025-12-23 自由電子報 zh-Hant-TW2012-11-30 縱火害5命 惡男判死刑 Arsonist who killed five people sentenced to death. https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/634542 https://web.archive.org/web/20191212193219/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/634542 2019-12-12 2025-12-23 自由電子報 zh-Hant-TW Course of the crime In the early morning of March 12, 2012, in Hsinchu City, Peng Jianyuan became dissatisfied that his close friend Zhou Zhiqiang refused to assist him. Accompanied by a woman surnamed Wang, Peng drove to a gas station and purchased 10 liters of gasoline, then went to Zhou's KTV on Minghu Road. When Zhou opened the door, Peng splashed gasoline and ignited the fire, using the metal container holding the gasoline to block the small entrance, preventing escape. Three people inside were able to escape through a safety exit. After the arson, Peng behaved suspiciously and was intercepted by a police patrol network. He was subsequently escorted to a hospital under guard. Following investigation, police identified Peng as a suspect. After questioning, he was transferred to the Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office on charges of murder and public endangerment, and his detention was approved by the court. Casualties The five deceased victims were Tian Dezhen (33, male), Qiu Wenfu (32, male), Xu Zongyong (42, male), Lin Meijing (46, female), and Yan Guifen (42, female). Qiu Wenfu was the owner of the well-known Hsinchu Chenghuang Temple eatery Afu Braised Pork Rice.名店老闆遇死劫 4子失依 A famous shop owner dies in a fatal accident, leaving his four children orphaned. http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085986/%E5%90%8D%E5%BA%97%E8%80%81%E9%97%86%E9%81%87%E6%AD%BB%E5%8A%AB4%E5%AD%90%E5%A4%B1%E4%BE%9D https://web.archive.org/web/20170628170130/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20120313/34085986/%E5%90%8D%E5%BA%97%E8%80%81%E9%97%86%E9%81%87%E6%AD%BB%E5%8A%AB4%E5%AD%90%E5%A4%B1%E4%BE%9D 2017-06-28 2025-12-23 蘋果日報 zh-TWhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcE-ihoqKOs 【中天】3/13新竹知名滷肉飯老闆被燒死　前妻帶4子喊冤 2012-03-13 中天電視 2025-12-23 YouTubeOn March 13, the owner of a well-known braised pork rice restaurant in Hsinchu was burned to death; his ex-wife and four children protested his innocence. The four injured individuals were Zhou Zhiqiang (34, male), the property owner, who suffered burns to all limbs; Zhou Yurong (26, female, seven months pregnant), who suffered smoke inhalation; Xu Yuzhen (37, female), who also suffered smoke inhalation; and Peng Jianyuan (34, male), the arson suspect, who sustained burns to both hands. Indictment and trial On June 6, 2012, after being taken into custody, Peng showed concern only for whether he met the criteria for voluntary surrender and displayed no remorse whatsoever for his crimes. Prosecutors at the Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office considered Peng's actions to be extremely malicious and believed that he needed to be permanently isolated from society, and therefore specifically sought the death penalty. On November 28, the Hsinchu District Court ruled that Peng was not eligible for sentence reduction based on voluntary surrender, and in the first-instance judgment, sentenced him to death for intentional homicide and homicide with indeterminate intent, and deprived him of civil rights for life.縱火燒卡拉OK釀5死　男判死刑 Arson at Karaoke Bar Kills 5; Man Sentenced to Death http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/local/20130509/178946/applesearch/%E7%B8%B1%E7%81%AB%E7%87%92%E5%8D%A1%E6%8B%89OK%E9%87%805%E6%AD%BB%E7%94%B7%E5%88%A4%E6%AD%BB%E5%88%91 https://web.archive.org/web/20170114120301/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/local/20130509/178946/applesearch/%E7%B8%B1%E7%81%AB%E7%87%92%E5%8D%A1%E6%8B%89OK%E9%87%805%E6%AD%BB%E7%94%B7%E5%88%A4%E6%AD%BB%E5%88%91 2017-01-14 2025-12-23 蘋果日報 zh-TW On December 12, Peng's friend Zhou Zhiqiang was indicted for negligent homicide in the course of business and violations of the Building Act, due to operating the karaoke business illegally in a tin structure and failing to provide adequate safety equipment, resulting in the deaths of five people.違法卡拉OK害5人燒死 遭訴 Five people burned to death at an illegal karaoke bar; indictment filed. http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20121213/34703215/applesearch/%E9%81%95%E6%B3%95%E5%8D%A1%E6%8B%89OK%E5%AE%B35%E4%BA%BA%E7%87%92%E6%AD%BB%E9%81%AD%E8%A8%B4 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221015/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20121213/34703215/applesearch/%E9%81%95%E6%B3%95%E5%8D%A1%E6%8B%89OK%E5%AE%B35%E4%BA%BA%E7%87%92%E6%AD%BB%E9%81%AD%E8%A8%B4 2016-03-04 2025-12-23 蘋果日報 zh-TW On May 9, 2013, the Taiwan High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the death sentence in the second-instance trial. On December 12, the Supreme Court found the evidence insufficient and remanded the case to the High Court for retrial.縱火害5命 死囚求死 仍發回更審 Arsonist who killed five people on death row pleaded for his life, but the case was sent back for further review. https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/society/paper/738182 https://web.archive.org/web/20190523130631/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/society/paper/738182 2019-05-23 2025-12-23 自由電子報 zh-Hant-TW On March 11, 2014, the High Court, in the first retrial, again upheld the death sentence, with the judges concluding that Peng's crimes were extremely serious and that he was beyond rehabilitation. 新竹KTV縱火害5命　凶嫌彭建源更一審仍判死刑 Arson at a Hsinchu KTV that killed five people: Suspect Peng Chien-yuan was sentenced to death in a retrial. https://www.ettoday.net/news/20140311/333379.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20190524120431/https://www.ettoday.net/news/20140311/333379.htm 2019-05-24 2025-12-23 ETtoday新聞雲 zh-TW On September 2, the Supreme Court, in the third-instance trial, finalized the death sentence for Peng Jianyuan. He is currently detained at the Taipei Detention Center, awaiting execution by firing squad. Divergent views Peng Jianyuan had a medical history of mental illness, and throughout all stages of trial, the charge applied was “homicide with indeterminate intent.”October 2026 According to interpretations of the International Covenants on Human Rights (the “Two Covenants”) by the Supreme Court in cases such as the Chen Kunming murder case and the Lin Jixiong arson case that killed 13 people, individuals with mental disorders should not be sentenced to death, and non-premeditated homicide should not carry the death penalty.黃錦嵐 司法論衡：彭建源死刑定讞案的〈兩公約〉爭議 Judicial Commentary: The Controversy Over the Two Conventions in the Peng Chien-yuan Death Sentencing Case https://hk.on.cc/tw/bkn/cnt/commentary/20140903/bkntw-20140903000414934-0903_04411_001.html https://web.archive.org/web/20190524193418/https://hk.on.cc/tw/bkn/cnt/commentary/20140903/bkntw-20140903000414934-0903_04411_001.html 2019-05-24 2025-12-23 on.cc東網 zh-hk In response, Lin Xinyi, executive director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, stated that the Supreme Court has issued inconsistent opinions on whether defendants with mental disorders may be sentenced to death. The Supreme Court responded by clarifying that it had already provided clear legal interpretations, and that the reasoning and main holdings of its judgments were explicitly stated and appropriate. 廢死聯盟轟見解不一 網友批只判死不執行 The Abolitionist Coalition criticizes differing opinions, with netizens arguing that only death sentences are handed down without execution. http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20140903000459-260102 https://web.archive.org/web/20170114120018/http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20140903000459-260102 2017-01-14 2025-12-23 中時電子報 zh-TW Lai Zhongxing, presiding judge of the Fourth Criminal Division of the Supreme Court, along with four other judges, held that the prohibition against sentencing or executing individuals with mental or intellectual disabilities to death was intended merely to “urge” compliance, rather than constituting a mandatory requirement under the Two Covenants, and therefore did not possess the force of domestic law.社團法人高雄市築夢關懷協會 Kaohsiung City Dream Building and Care Association http://www.ksdreamba.artcom.tw/ap/news_view.aspx?bid=23&sn=8c0f0e2a-9e7f-4521-b4cd-c35e459f0498 https://web.archive.org/web/20190519175537/http://www.ksdreamba.artcom.tw/ap/news_view.aspx?bid=23&sn=8c0f0e2a-9e7f-4521-b4cd-c35e459f0498 2019-05-19 2025-12-23 www.ksdreamba.artcom.tw Gao Rongzhi, executive director of the Judicial Reform Foundation, argued that the Supreme Court, in order to cater to public sentiment favoring the death penalty, convened a life-and-death debate and subsequently hollowed out the Two Covenants, producing a rationalized legal interpretation to justify sentencing Peng to death. In 2024, the Constitutional Court accepted the petition for constitutional interpretation regarding the death penalty submitted by Peng Jianyuan and 37 other death row inmates. References Taiwan Category:2010s murders in Taiwan Category:2012 murders in Asia Category:2012 fires in Asia Category:Arson in 2012 Category:Attacks in Taiwan Category:Attacks on bars in Asia Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2012 Category:Building and structure arson attacks in Asia Category:Building and structure fires in Taiwan Category:Hsinchu Category:Karaoke Category:March 2012 in Asia Category:Mass murders in Taiwan Category:2012 mass murders Category:Drinking establishment fires Category:21st-century mass murders in Asia Category:March 2012 crimes in Asia Category:2012 in Taiwan