Court Refuses to Reinstate Woman’s Murder Conviction

The state Supreme Court refused Wednesday to reinstate the 1996 murder conviction of a Taiwanese woman who allegedly killed her millionaire husband’s mistress in Mission Viejo and smothered the woman’s 5-month-old son.

The decision forces prosecutors to decide whether to press for a third trial of Li-Yun “Lisa” Peng in a case that attracted international attention. Her story inspired a movie in Taiwan and made headlines across Asia.

The high court unanimously denied review of a state appeals court decision last year that attacked the interrogation tactics of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The lower court ruling granted Peng a new trial on the grounds that she was coerced and deceived into incriminating herself through her husband, who cooperated with sheriff’s deputies.

Peng’s first trial, in 1995, ended in a deadlocked jury. But a second jury convicted her in April 1996. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Peng’s attorney, Charles Sevilla, said he will ask a judge within the next two weeks to release Peng from prison.