Man Marries Millionaire Teen Hours Before Falling To His Death; Husband Heir To $16M Inheritance

A teenage boy in Taiwan worth over $16 million fell from an apartment building and died just two hours after he and a 26-year-old man registered their marriage, according to reports.

The man, identified as Hsia, and his father were questioned by prosecutors for five hours Tuesday following the death of the 18-year-old Taichung high school student, identified as Lai, on May 4, Taiwan-based newspaper United Daily News (UDN) reported.

During questioning, Hsia claimed that the reason for the marriage was that Lai's father would only allow the first of his children to get married to inherit a property portfolio worth NT$500 million ($16.24 million).

After leaving the court where he was questioned, Hsia was asked by Taiwanese media if he loved Lai, but he did not reply. His lawyer said they could not comment since the incident is still being investigated.

Taichung district prosecutors said last week that they had questioned Hsia on May 5 under suspicion of homicide but allowed him to be released on NT$300,000 ($9,700) bail, Central News Agency reported.

During a May 19 press conference, Lai's mother, whose name was not disclosed, alleged that her son was murdered for his money, according to Taiwan News. She claimed that her son had only met Hsia twice before his death, including when Hsia, who reportedly worked as an assistant to a land administration agent, invited the teen out to discuss how to manage his properties.

She also insisted that her son was not gay and had no reason to take his own life. Lai had recently been admitted to a university, she said.

The mother's lawyer suggested that Hsia's claims during the Tuesday questioning were an attempt to clear his name of the alleged crime.

Hsia and Lai's mother are entitled to jointly inherit the deceased teenager's wealth, UDN reported, citing Taiwanese lawyer Su Jiahong. Even if Lai's mother filed a civil lawsuit questioning the validity of the marriage, her son's spouse could still inherit the estate until the court renders its judgment, the report said.

However, if the court determined that Lai's death was an act of murder, Hsia would lose his right to inherit, even if the marriage was valid, according to the report.

The report noted that in Taiwan, marriage does not only require the couple and two witnesses to be physically present and to sign in writing but also the "true intention to marry."

The two witnesses to the marriage were strangers to Lai and Hsia but allegedly performed the role because they were told the pair's families did not accept their union, SETN reported. The witnesses said they felt sympathy for the couple and agreed to perform the role without receiving any money.

The right to inherit of Lai's mother is also being questioned after it was revealed she came from mainland China.

Taiwanese law states that "the total amount of the estate any of the people of the Mainland Area (China) may inherit shall not exceed two million New Taiwan Dollars," while the remainder shall be distributed to other heirs in Taiwan.

Lai's biological father is dead, which means the first heir in line for the inheritance after the deceased teen's mother would be Hsia.

The lawyer of Lai's mother insisted that she is still eligible to inherit the entire estate since she had already voluntarily canceled her China household registration.

But the deceased teen's mother said she does not have a Taiwanese identification card, household registration, or health insurance card, LTN reported. The Lai family has hired an immigration lawyer to resolve the issue.

An autopsy on Lai has been completed, but a report has not yet been released, according to Taiwan News.