Taiwan court upholds death sentence for metro attacker

TAIPEI - A Taiwan court on Friday upheld the death sentence for Cheng Chieh, who was convicted of murder and multiple attempts to kill in a subway knife attack in 2014.

Taiwan's supreme court rejected Cheng's second appeal. The defendant had no psychological or mental problems when he committed the crime, said the court.

Cheng, a 21-year-old college student at that time, stabbed passengers at random on a moving subway train in Taipei, killing four and injuring 22 others in the span of four minutes on May 21, 2014. He was arrested at the scene.

He had been sentenced to death in the previous two trials in March and October last year.

The death penalty ruling against Cheng reflects legal justice, said the husband of a woman killed in the attack.

After the attack, Cheng underwent a psychiatric assessment at Taiwan University Hospital. He was found to be "normal" after four face-to-face interviews and a physical examination.