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A Santa Clara County jury has awarded more than $23 million to the family of a Mountain View woman who disappeared during a trip to Taiwan with her husband nearly six years ago.
Harald Herchen, 66, a Canadian citizen and engineer, has long been considered a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Alice Ku, and has an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Taiwan, according to Santa Clara County Superior Court records.
Ku’s parents, who live in Taiwan, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Herchen in 2021, a little more than a year after Ku went missing in November 2019. The suit alleges that Herchen arranged the trip to kill Ku and then concealed her death from family and friends.
The jury’s verdict to award $23.6 million to the parents is an acknowledgement that Ku’s life had value, according to Todd Davis, the family’s attorney. “It is a symbol of accountability for the defendant, but it doesn’t bring their daughter back,” he said, referring to the July 18 verdict.
In 2023, a Santa Clara County judge ruled that Ku died in Taroko National Park on Nov. 29, 2019. It is not known exactly how Ku died nor has her body been found, Davis said.
At the time of Ku’s disappearance, the family did not know that Ku had been married to Herchen since 2017, nor had they ever met him, according to an investigative report.
Ku lived in Mountain View with Herchen and worked as a tutor before she went missing. Ku’s family only learned about her disappearance after a student told them that Ku had not shown up to several classes, which was unlike her. Ku also had stopped communicating with family and friends, the investigative report said.
Ku never visited her parents when she was in Taiwan despite Herchen’s claim that he had received an email from her saying she had arrived safely at her parent’s home. The “proof of life” email was allegedly sent by Herchen from his hotel room using Ku’s email account, according to court records.
There were other irregularities in Herchen’s story as well. In depositions, Herchen said he left Ku at the train station so she could visit her parents, but phone records and license plate tracking did not match these claims, Davis said.
Herchen also broke his wrist the same day that Ku disappeared and then provided contradictory statements about how it happened, Davis said.
Charles Smith, Herchen’s attorney, expressed disappointment with the verdict, maintaining his client’s innocence. Herchen was not involved in Ku’s disappearance or death, Smith said.
He added that the large payout also was not reflective of Ku’s relationship with her family, which he described as distant. “She had a mysterious life that her family didn’t know about and unfortunately, the jury didn’t care that much about that so they gave the parents a lot of money,” he said.
Herchen may appeal the jury’s decision and request that a judge reduce the award. Smith said his client hasn’t done so yet.
It is highly unlikely that Herchen would face criminal charges in the U.S. for the disappearance or death of Ku, according to Andrew Watters, an investigator and attorney for Ku’s family.
It is impossible to prosecute Herchen for homicide in the U.S. because the overseas statute only applies to U.S. citizens whereas Herchen is a Canadian citizen, Watters said. “So, he can commit this act overseas and walk as a free man in the United States because nobody can touch him,” Watters said.
The U.S. also does not have an extradition agreement with Taiwan, which means that Herchen cannot be forced to return to Taiwan for questioning as a homicide suspect, Watters said.
