An 18-year-old Taiwanese millionaire heir was found dead two hours after allegedly marrying a man he met only twice. Surnamed Lai, he inherited a NT$500 million (Rs 1,34,96,95,476) property portfolio from his father shortly before his death.
The 18-year-old Taiwanese millionaire heir, possibly a student, was found dead on the ground floor of a 10-story residential building on May 4, according to the report. It was discovered that he lived in the same building as his estate agent assistant, Hsia. Notably, Lai and Hsia, both 26, had legally married two hours before his death.
Ms. Hsia and his father were real estate agents who assisted Lai’s father in managing his estates and negotiating the inheritance.
Taiwanese media broke the news of the teen’s death on May 19, when the teen’s mother, surnamed Chen, held a press conference in Taichung City, central Taiwan, accompanied by her lawyer. She accused foul play and questioned the circumstances of her son’s death, given that he stands to inherit a large sum of money from his father, who died in late April.
She claimed that her son was murdered for money and that the incident was staged to appear as a suicide. Ms. Chen also stated that her son was ”not gay” and that he had only met Mr. Hsia twice before his death, the first time at his father’s funeral.
According to The Strait Times, the distraught mother told reporters that she “would never accept” that her son had committed suicide, adding that he had no reason to, describing him as an “obedient boy set to study philosophy at a local university.”
Following an examination of Lai’s body, forensic medical expert Kao Ta-cheng stated that the injuries he sustained indicated that he was unlikely to have fallen from the 10th floor, citing the absence of hemorrhages in his head or abdominal cavities. He suspected Lai had been poisoned prior to his fall.
In Taiwan, same-sex marriage is legal. Partners in same-sex marriages have the same legal rights as other marriages under Taiwan’s Civil Code, including inheritance rights.
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