San Jose, California — A jury in Santa Clara County has awarded more than $23 million to the family of a Mountain View woman who vanished in Taiwan, following a wrongful death lawsuit against her husband, who is sought by authorities in Taiwan.
The case centers on Alice Ku, who disappeared in 2019 while visiting Taroko National Park with her husband, Harald Herchen, 66. Her parents, Weichiao Ku and Pi-Lien Kuo, initiated the lawsuit alleging that Herchen attempted to obscure the truth of his involvement in their daughter’s death. Evidence presented in court suggested that after her disappearance, an email was sent from her account claiming she was alive and far from the location where she was last seen.
Despite ongoing investigations, Ku’s body has never been found, leading law enforcement to treat the circumstances of her disappearance as a homicide. Legal representatives for the family highlighted the verdict as a significant step toward justice and truth regarding the tragedy that befell Ku, who was just short of her 37th birthday at the time of her disappearance.
Attorney Todd Davis commented that the substantial verdict emphasizes the value of Ku’s life, reinforcing the family’s grief and their enduring search for resolution. Ku was a Los Gatos native, an accomplished graduate of Saratoga High School and Santa Clara University, and was married to Herchen in 2017.
The couple traveled to Taipei on November 23, 2019, and Ku was reported missing six days later. Herchen claimed that Ku emailed him on November 30, asking to change her travel plans, and that he had dropped her off at a train station beforehand. However, investigation findings cast doubt on his narrative, revealing substantial inconsistencies. Forensic evidence confirmed that the email was sent from Herchen’s hotel room, while tracking data indicated that he did not take Ku to the train station as he claimed.
Further testimony from professionals, including a physician who treated Herchen, revealed that he suffered a broken hand on the day Ku vanished, raising additional questions about his version of events. Furthermore, financial data indicated that there was no activity in any of Ku’s accounts after she disappeared.
The family became alarmed on December 2, 2019—the day Alice would have celebrated her birthday—when they were unable to reach her. Ku, a diligent tutor, also missed several scheduled appointments, marking a stark departure from her usual behavior. In their quest for answers, her family even offered a reward for information leading to her whereabouts and questioned the extent of Herchen’s efforts to locate her.
Authorities in Taiwan have designated Herchen as a primary suspect in the ongoing investigation but lack the means to extradite him due to the absence of a treaty between the United States and Taiwan. Adding complexity to the case are the circumstances surrounding the death of Herchen’s previous wife, who died months before he and Ku married. Although her death was ruled as resulting from sleep apnea, an autopsy revealed numerous unexplained injuries.
In response to the jury’s decision, Herchen’s attorney, Chuck Smith, asserted his client’s innocence, asserting that there are possibilities surrounding Ku’s disappearance that do not implicate Herchen. He indicated that after the verdict, there was still uncertainty regarding their next steps, including potential appeals or post-trial motions.
This case has drawn significant media attention and public intrigue, underscoring the complexities of international legal jurisdictions and personal tragedy.
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