went on trial in April 1985, with Tung being tried in absentia. The military tribunal of Wang and his subordinates followed in April 1985. Criminal trials At a pre-trial hearing in Taipei, Chen Chi-li claimed that Wang Hsi-ling of Kuomintang intelligence ordered the assassination, stating that Liu was a double agent who had spied for both Taiwan and China. However, Chen claimed he instructed his associates to disobey Wang's orders and instead wanted Liu to be injured, not killed, after learning that Liu's parents had been killed by Chinese communists. Chen and Wu were convicted in April 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment, after tearfully begging to avoid the death penalty. In May 1985, a month after his conviction, Chen retracted this statement, stating that Wang had only ordered that Liu be taught a lesson, not killed, which brought Chen's story in agreement with Wang's testimony during his nearly-simultaneous military tribunal. The life sentences were upheld under two separate court rulings. Under Taiwan law, both Chen and Wu were eligible for parole after serving ten years of their sentence. Meanwhile, Wang and his subordinates were subjected to a military tribunal. Two sessions were held; during the first, on 4 April 1985, Chen Chi-li was called to testify, where he and Wang sparred over who bore greater responsibility for Liu's death. During the second, Wang denied that he had authorized the killing, only that he had discussed the possibility of "giving [Liu] a lesson" and that his sole mistake was failing to inform his superiors that Chen was responsible when he learned of the killing, effectively shielding any higher governmental officials from blame. His subordinates stated they contacted Chen only at Wang's request and therefore bore no personal responsibility in following orders. The tribunal ended with no other witnesses called, resulting in Wang's April 1985 conviction and sentence of life imprisonment; his subordinates were each sentenced at the same hearing to two and a half years in prison for acting as accessories to the murder. The life sentence for Wang was upheld during a later review, although Wang was also eligible for parole after ten years. Tung Kuei-sen had been rumored to be living in the Philippines, as he was not detained during the November 1984 Taiwan crackdown on Bamboo Union members when Chen and Wu had been arrested. Tung was eventually captured in Brazil in September 1985, and was extradited