A man accused of setting a fire that killed a woman in his shared apartment building is asking a Taiwanese court to let him out on bail so he can earn money to pay compensation.

• The fire broke out in a subdivided rental unit in New Taipei's Xinzhuang district in October 2024, killing one tenant from carbon monoxide and injuring another.
• A first-trial jury panel convicted him of murder and gave him eight years, reduced because he turned himself in.
• The High Court threw out that verdict in July, ruling the lower court sprang the murder charge on the defense without proper notice, and sent the case back for a new trial.
• Prosecutors had originally charged only negligent homicide, saying he had no intent to kill; he claimed a psychiatric episode drove him to light the fire to silence voices.
• Court-ordered psychiatric testing found long-term depression, stimulant and alcohol problems, and borderline personality traits, but concluded he could still tell right from wrong at the time.

Outlook: With his detention set to expire in early September, the court must decide whether to keep him locked up or release him under house arrest and electronic monitoring while the retrial proceeds.