Taiwanese former actor Lee Wei named as suspect in murder investigation
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Lee Wei has been named a suspect in a murder investigation of a woman who was allegedly abused and tortured to death by a Buddhist teacher.
PHOTO: LEE WEI/WEIBO
Follow topic:
Taiwanese former actor Lee Wei, once known for idol dramas like Kiss Of The Toast (2001) and My Lucky Star (2007), has officially been named as a suspect in a murder investigation.
The 44-year-old and his wife, a non-celebrity named Chien Yu-chia whom he reportedly married in 2024, were previously called as witnesses during the investigation, but were named on Feb 24 as defendants for injury causing death.
The couple have been embroiled in what Taiwanese media has dubbed the Taipei Monastery Murder.
A 52-year-old woman, a devout Buddhist known as Ms Tsai, was found dead with injuries all over her body, in a small monastery in Taipei’s Da’an district in July 2024. Her bank account, containing around NT$2 million (S$81,600), had been emptied.
A forensic pathologist determined that she died of rhabdomyolysis, a condition involving the rapid dissolution of damaged or injured skeletal muscle.
Further investigations by the authorities uncovered famed Taiwanese Buddhist and Taoist practitioner and writer Wang Yun, 64, as a prime suspect. According to Taiwan’s Mirror Media, Ms Tsai was a follower of Wang.
Lee, who has acted only sporadically since 2015, is also a follower of Wang. He reportedly took an interest in Buddhism during his years away from the spotlight.
Wang had reportedly been upset with Ms Tsai, an accountant, as he felt she had mishandled his finances.
He allegedly asked three other followers to make Ms Tsai atone for her mistakes by physically abusing her and beating her, as well as forcing her to kneel and apologise to Wang.
The three followers were captured on security footage transporting Ms Tsai’s body in a trolley to the monastery.
Lee and his wife were allegedly present at the scene of the crime, and are suspected of witnessing and possibly instigating some of the abuse Ms Tsai suffered.
Mirror Media added that Lee’s involvement was captured on a voice recording secretly taken by another follower at the scene.
The former actor is said to be an adviser to Wang and his followers, tasked with creating a coherent narrative about Ms Tsai’s death.
He was reportedly part of a Line group chat named 0724 – which references the day of Ms Tsai’s death, July 24 – to help those involved in the crime get their stories straight.
Lee is out on bail of NT$300,000, while his wife is out on bail of NT$150,000.
