Taiwan student with P905.7M inheritance falls to death two hours after alleged marriage with an older man
An 18-year-old student from Taiwan who inherited NT$500 million (P905.7 million) fell to his death—just two hours after his alleged marriage to a man he met twice.
The Straits Times reported that the student, surnamed Lai, inherited the property portfolio of his father, who died in late April.
But on May 4, the day of his father's cremation and burial, Lai was discovered dead after reportedly falling off the 10th floor of a building in the district of Beitun.
Lai's mother, surnamed Chen, in a press conference raised foul play suspicions.
Chen accused a certain man surnamed Hsia, an escrow assistant, of being behind her son's death. She said Hsia asked Lai out during that day under the guise of managing his portfolio. The agent was persistent in his invitation, arriving at their doorstep at around 7 a.m., Chen said.
After her son's death, Chen eventually learned that the floor whence Lai fell was the one where Hsia lived.
Worse, Lai allegedly registered his marriage to Hsia before his fall. Same-sex marriage is legal in Taiwan since 2019.
Chen said she "would never accept" that her son took his own life, especially that he's an "obedient boy" set to read philosophy at a local university. He also recently got a new motorcycle and license.
She also said her son wasn't gay, as he had just professed his love to a female classmate.
Chen's lawyers believe Lai was murdered for his wealth.
They also noted that Hsia had a long-standing relationship with the elder Lai, as the one who held on to his title deeds and is therefore familiar with the value of his properties.