First Taiwanese woman sentenced to death in 23 years

First Taiwanese woman sentenced to death in 23 years

A Taiwan court on Thursday upheld a death sentence on a "merciless" woman who murdered three close family members in an insurance scam.

Two policemen stand guard in Wanli district, New Taipei city, on February 20, 2012. A Taiwan court on Thursday upheld a death sentence on a "merciless" woman who murdered three close family members in an insurance scam.

The final ruling in the high-profile case made Lin Yu-ru the first woman to be sentenced to death in Taiwan for 23 years.

The 32-year-old, accused of murdering her mother, husband and mother-in-law for 20 million Taiwan dollars ($678,000) in insurance money, was convicted and sentenced to death by a High Court last year.

Her appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court Thursday after a hearing last month.

"What she did was cruel and merciless... the pain she caused to her husband's family was unendurable," the court said in a statement.

In an interview with local television, a relative of the victims hailed the ruling and described it as a "belated justice".

The court statement said Lin admitted pushing her mother down the stairs and poisoning her husband and mother-in-law to get the insurance money and pay off gambling debts.

She came under suspicion because the three died mysteriously within nine months of each other and she was the sole beneficiary of the insurance money.

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