Investigators believe the family members were shot in their bedrooms, with a rifle, in the house in Great Falls. "It is very unclear whether he was working," said Horan. Edward Chen Mandy got pregnant and Edward married her. She declined to set bond. Edward Chen, the Chens' younger son and Raymond's younger brother, is now charged with three counts of murder. It is rumored that Jin Feng Che was heavily involved in the underground network and personally handled many of the transactions, often keeping large amounts of money in his home. 5 charged in Virginia triple murder of family; two victims from Utah | KUTV Five men are each charged with three counts of first-degree murder related to thebrutal May 2019 Virginia. Ed Chen murdered his mother, father, and brother in their home and went undiscovered until 2002. Despite an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies that reached as far as Canada and China, the brutal killings of a family of four in upstate New York remain unsolved. [5], Around midday on October 8, 2014, a coworker of Chen's at the King's Wok restaurant where he worked became concerned when he had not reported for work or called to say he would be absent or late. In this episode we tell the story of Edward Chen and crimes he committed in the late 1990s in Great Falls, Virginia. The scene soon attracted a considerable media presence, due to it being the first quadruple homicide to occur in the Capital District,[3][a] as the metropolitan area around Albany, Schenectady and Troy is known. In addition, two women testified that, in the 1970s, Bramblett had given them alcohol and molested them when they were eleven and fourteen years old.[1]. It was pretty devastating, Muller says of the crime. Investigators have considered links to Chinese American organized crime; there is evidence the Chens may have been involved in illegal gambling and/or the human trafficking of undocumented immigrants from China. The murders captivated the region for decades. In the spring of 2002, the Fairfax County police department received a phone call from Vickie Henry, who claimed that Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond had been murdered in August 1995. Those barriers are additionally complicated by many of the potential witnesses not only speaking primarily Chinese but, as immigrants from Fujian, "Chinatown community eyed as cops work to solve quadruple slaying upstate", "2 Children Among 4 Found Dead in Home in Upstate New York", "Police, prosecutors stumped over who killed Guilderland family", "Two quadruple killings, two different tales", "Human trafficking, undocumented workers part of Guilderland homicide investigation", "Case of Chinese couple and their two young sons bludgeoned to death in US remains a mystery after a year", "A year after Chinese family murdered, no suspects here or elsewhere", "Mississippi Gulf Coast triple murder getting another look by FBI", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chen_family_killings&oldid=1145067795, This page was last edited on 17 March 2023, at 03:17. However, a search of the Chens former residence revealed a dried-up blood stain, which matched Wu-Hungs blood, and convinced the police of Edwards involvement. Mandy and Ed met in high school, dated and were married for a few years. He also said the only person who can answer all of the detectives' questions is the killer. Gaining entry, authorities found 37-year-old Teresa Lynn Hodges' body on a couch, still burning she had been strangled and doused with diesel fuel. The brutal, unsolved quadruple homicide has affected the community deeplyand is still on peoples minds, Pastor Charlie Muller told A&E True Crime. On Saturday, police identified those killed as Shirley Zhou, 48, James Wenjie Chen, 16, and Hong Chen, 52. Chen was arraigned in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Monday. Three people found dead inside a home in McLean, Virginia, on Friday died in a double murder-suicide, police said. [3], A neighbor told the Albany Times-Union later that the family lived what to him appeared to be a fairly normal life. 'An entire family was wiped out': Henry County Sheriff's Office to re No one had whispered it," he said. Muller said the tragedy affected the entire community. Jin Feng Chen and Hai Yan Li were natives of China's Fujian province. We're taking a break from Beyond Belief for a few weeks (but staying in the 90s) to cover a true crime case that is local to MM's neck of the woods and we have a coincidental connection to: the Chen Family murders in Great Falls, Virginia in August 1995. The couple allowed them to search the house. The coworker was greeted by the gruesome scene of four brutal murders that remain unsolved to this day. Jin Feng Chen and Hai Yan Li were natives of China's Fujian province. The Chen family, Wu-Hung, 53, Yei-Mei, 52, Raymond, 25, and Edward, moved from Taiwan to Fairfax, Virginia. "I shot them. Ed moved out, except he didnt take everything. Eventually, the police discovered blood splatters belonging to Wu-Hung at the Chen family home, but the bodies were never recovered. Since his English was extremely limited, he had to ask another coworker, a relative of the Chens, to call 9-1-1 for him. "It was a shock to us to find this out," said Al Fostin, the owner. The Chens were reasonably well-off and managed to send their children to prestigious schools in Fairfax, along with owning five properties in the US. The Chen Family Murders of Upstate New York Remain Shrouded in Mystery Chen and his wife were from the province of Fujian, on the southeastern coast of China, and came to the United States in the early 2000s. Shortly after, Edward Chen began dating Mandy Kolbe. Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond Chen Murders: Where Is Edward Chen Now? Security guard convicted in killing of Pokemon Go-playing grandfather The child, who was living with her father, is being cared for by friends, Horan said. In the meantime, the younger Chen, like his brother a graduate of Herndon High School, sold the family's home in Seneca Knoll for $310,000. Ed Chen murdered his mother, father, and brother in their home and went undiscovered until . However, Mandy allegedly never reported the incident to the police out of fear and instead settled with Edward before having a child together and staying married for a year. [3], A year after the killings, Scott Coburn, head of the state police's criminal investigations bureau, said that 600 leads had come in from various sources, which he considered to be unusually low for a crime this serious. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at (703) 691-2131. The couple immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s. Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond Chen Murder Case: Where Is Edward Chen Their children attended Guilderland Elementary School. Although the childs mother is in the area, care for the child will have to be sorted out by some court, Horan said. All rights reserved. Other rumors suggest Chen hosted a gambling party at his home in the evening before he and his family were killed. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. "This is a truly rare situation," said Horan. I hope so.. [2] Bramblett displayed anger and stated that the "son of a bitch offed his family and killed himself", which indicated prior knowledge and immediately made him a prime suspect.[1]. It was a shock for everyone. Wu-Hung and Weh-Mei Chen, natives of Taiwan, continued to frequently visit their two sons, Raymond and Edward, at their Great Falls home in Fairfax, Virginia. Bramblett reportedly told friends that he wished he had not "hurt Tammy" three years after she went missing, though he was never charged in either Akers's or Rader's disappearances and their whereabouts are still unknown. Her sisters, Caroline and Mary, were widows who helped the unmarried Virginian run the boarding school for girls. The family was laid to rest at All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, in the New York City borough of Queens. The boysdescribed as kind, gentle and joyfulloved gardening, and Garden Club was the last activity they participated in at school, The Altamont Enterprise reported. More evidence was about to come, when a man named Michael Reese came forward and said he helped Ed dismember and dump the bodies, that had already been in the home for four years at this point. It also said that an unnamed source had told the paper that Chen had shut down his restaurant two years earlier and his wife was in the U.S. illegally. Bramblett was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death on December 16, 1997, after the jury deliberated for one hour. Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. After a clemency petition to Governor of Virginia Mark Warner was rejected, along with an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Bramblett was executed in the electric chair for the murder of the Hodges family at Greensville Correctional Center, Jarratt, Virginia, on April 9, 2003. Hello, listeners. [2] Firefighters and police found fire burning throughout the house. Edward Chen, the Chens' younger son and Raymond's younger brother, is now charged with three counts of murder. The police could tell when she was telling them about it she was being honest, and she was having to relive the horrific day. Kowalski said Jin Feng and Hai Yan Li did not speak fluent English. Thus, Edward Chen remains behind bars at the Baskerville Correctional Center in Baskerville, Virginia, and will be released in August 2033. "The media probably knows as much about it as we do. Ed had to tip toe around his relationship with Mandy, even buying two apartments so his parents wouldnt find out. The bullets used to kill the victims were determined to be of the same composition as bullets found in a vehicle belonging to Bramblett. Feng Lu, 58, was taken into custody when he landed in San Francisco on a flight from China, Gonzalez said. 60 is still pretty young, and who knows, he could hurt someone else again. [3] In addition to the NYPD and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), both of which made interpreters available, investigators had reached out for help to police departments not only in other North American cities with large Asian populations, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Montreal, but to law enforcement in China, as well. He killed his bother Raymond first, and shot him in the upper chest area. ", Fostin said the family moved in two years ago. A witness had seen a vehicle similar to Bramblett's driving past the Hodges home during the fire, without stopping. His dad tried to run away, which is he ended up on the floor, but he killed them. But "We are satisfied from the forensic evidence that it happened," Horan said. Two sons, Anthony and Eddy, were born in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Earl Conrad Bramblett (March 20, 1942 April 9, 2003) was an American mass murderer, convicted for the killing of four members of the Hodges family in August 1994 in Vinton, Virginia. She had grown up not only in the town but in the neighborhood where the Chens lived, which made it affect her even more. Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Bob Horan last week outlined what is known about a seven-year-old triple homicide that allegedly occurred in a quiet neighborhood off north Seneca Road in Great Falls. The multi-jurisdictional investigation included Guilderland police, New York State Police, New York City police, the U.S. Department of State and the FBI. The judge agreed and the confession was thrown out. He revealed the crime to Kolbe, but she said she didn't report it because she both loved and feared Chen. Seattle doctor admits to killing son, partner I hope that by not going to trial, I saved everyone more pain and suffering. Read More: Catherine Kitty Pappas Murder: Is George Joseph Cvek Dead or Alive? The wave of murders, known as the " Golden Years Killings", included more than a dozen elderly women in total, some of which remain unsolved cases. Wu-Hung and Yei-Mei were constantly traveling to Taiwan, often leaving the two boys at home in their large home. Related Features: That night, he admitted to investigators that he had purchased a .30-30 Winchester rifle, went into his family members' bedrooms in the middle of the night and shot them. 5 VIrginia Serial Killings That Will Terrify You - OnlyInYourState 5 charged in Virginia triple murder of family; two victims from Utah The boys father was in the United States legally, but their mother was not, according to unnamed sources quoted by Newsday. Instead, both sides agreed that the middle point of Virginia's suggested sentencing guidelines, which ranged from 26 to 45 years, was appropriate. Interestingly, when Vickie called the police, she claimed that her ex, Edward Chen, was responsible for murdering the rest of his family. Although Virginia does not have parole, it does reduce sentences slightly for good behavior. 2 Young Children Left Alone for Days at Scene of Triple Murder - NBC4 [3] A considerable amount of forensic evidence, including DNA, has been collected but has not generated any leads; cultural, legal, and linguistic barriers have also made progress difficult despite outreach to other law enforcement agencies in other large U.S. cities, Canada, and China. What We Know About The Unsolved 2014 Murders Of The Chen Family - MSN Fairfax County police believe Hong Chen fatally shot Zhou, his wife, and James Chen, his son. However, Ed eventually took a plea deal, and admitted to three counts of first degree murder. Do you still find out new things about old friends that are surprising, like military school or bachelor party destinations? However, there was little other evidence suggesting who killed the family or why. He said his parents had heard the noise, and he went into their bedroom. At the time of his arrest he was living in an apartment he rented at Worldgate in Herndon. Guilderland Police Chief Dan McNally told A&E True Crime his department appreciates any media exposure regarding the case, in hopes that it might prompt someone to come forward with information. Their bodies were discovered by a coworker of Chens, who went to the home after Chen reportedly failed to show up for work at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Naturally, the police could not take Vickie for her word, as there was nothing to suggest that a murder had even occurred in the first place. [3], Further inspection of the Hodges house revealed purposefully-disconnected telephone lines and the presence of a petroleum-based accelerant in several areas. He and his wife spent most of their time in Taiwan, giving rise to the assumption that is where they were, Horan said. There are several prevailing theories as to what may have happened to the Chen family. On May 29, 2019, Rachel Ozuna, her 14-year-old son Kyrrus and her boyfriend, Michael Coleman, were found in their Arlene Acres Drive home bound with their throats cut. Updated: 1:56 PM EDT June 30, 2022. Chen said he shot them because they were trying to break up his relationship with his girlfriend. Michael said he and Ed met, and Ed had told him weird stories and asked him strange questions about dead people, and what he would do to get rid of dead bodies. In a strange and surprising development, one Vickie Henry called the Fairfax County police department and claimed that she had information about the murders of Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond Chen. Category:Family murders - Wikipedia Jin Feng Chen, his wife, Hai Yan Li and their two young boys, Anthony and Eddy, were murdered on October 8th, 2014 at their home on Western Avenue. However, there was little other evidence suggesting who killed the family or why. He said that Mandy Chen had not committed a crime and that the statute of limitations had expired for Reese's part in the crime. He did, however, concede that Chen had indeed often had his friends over for low-stakes card games. Young Performing Artists In McLean Awarded Scholarships By The Alden, McLean Home Listed For $3.2M Offers Luxurious Living Indoors, Outdoors, Special Grand Jury To Investigate Fatal Police Shooting At Tysons Mall, Antique Brass and Silver Restoration Services: MONDAYS 10-4, Celebrate Pilates Day: FREE Pilates Reformer classes & Happy Hour, SONOVA presents: Beethoven, Brews, and BBQ, Montgomery County Virtual 50+ Employment Expo Tuesday, May 16th, Summer Travel Season Could Be Busiest Ever In VA, AAA Says, VA Weather: Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued, Soggy Week Ahead, McLean Area Prospective Homeowners: See 5 New Homes On The Market, Math Whizzes, Finest Principal, White House Preserver: NoVA Good News, Morel Mushrooms Popping Up In VA: When To Find Springtime Delicacy. Mandy was confused, until Ed said they were dead and he could prove it to her. Chen family killings - Wikipedia He left a $25,000/year job in February, Horan said, because he didnt want to do it any more. Chen told relatives in Taiwan that his family had died in a car accident in the United States. When he told the same story in the United States, he changed the location of the car wreck to Taiwan, Horan said. Ed offered Michael $100,000 and a new car. Ultimately, pressured by the investigation, the police had to carry out a search of the Chen family home, as well as the Chesapeake Bay, since the bodies were allegedly dumped there. His parents disapproved, Horan said, and in summer 1995, they took Edward Chen back to Taiwan and placed him in a mental institution. No homes or businesses in the immediate vicinity of the Chens had security cameras that might have provided footage to review. Authorities said they believe the attacker or attackers used a knife and hammer to kill the family. Its season 4 episode 6, titled Ghost of Great Falls.. said in a October 6, 2015 press conference, Anyone with any information about the case, Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible: The Mysterious Murders of Teenage Best Friends. [5], A week after the killings, the Times-Union reported that there was some evidence to support those claims as the New York City Police Department (NYPD) began assisting by investigating possible leads in its jurisdiction. Michael said he would cut them up and throw them in the ocean. When Leslie Leon Burchart was arrested in 2000, he admitted to murdering at least 7 elderly women in 1996 during a killing spree that spanned 6 months. Edward Y. Chen admitted in a Fairfax County courtroom yesterday that he shot his parents and older brother to death inside their Great Falls home in 1995, then left their bodies inside the house. The Chen's were a very traditional family, but they came to the U.S. so that the boys could go to school. Postal Service employee, was about to serve six months in federal prison for embezzlement. [3], The Guilderland police responded, and soon began sealing off the crime scene, later assisted by the New York State Police, whose detectives were seen the following morning combing through the area behind and near the house. Nonetheless, it was impossible to mount a case without bodies, and despite Edwards former friend, Michael Reese, claiming he helped the former dump the bodies in the Chesapeake Bay, the police were unable to locate them. I'm going to my death with a clear conscience. [6][4], The crime stunned Guilderland, normally a quiet suburb. ", What We Know About The Unsolved 2014 Murders Of The Chen Family. [2] On the second floor, they discovered William Blaine Hodges (aged 41) dead on a bed next to a .22 caliber gun with the barrel removed, shot through his left temple, but not burned. Investigation Discovery, "Forbidden - Dying for Love": https://bit.ly/3nCNpTR, Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall, "Ghosts of Great Falls": https://bit.ly/3u1k7AQ, Washingtonian Magazine, "Love and Murder in Great Falls": https://bit.ly/3eE3rc6, Washington Post, "VA Family Vanishes": https://wapo.st/2R8nQhg, Washington Post, "Fairfax Man Admits Killing Parents, Brother": https://wapo.st/2QEQqqK, Washington Post, "Killer's Ex-Girlfriend Pleads Guilty": https://wapo.st/3vm0sM2. The investigation was also made difficult by the reluctance of possible witnesses to come forward, as many were undocumented immigrants. However, in the years before he was killed, the business was not very profitable, and some sources questioned how he maintained his lifestyle with the reduced income. The week of the killing, a lengthy article in The New Yorker had documented this network, predominantly composed of Fujianese, for whom even the low pay and long hours at restaurants in the U.S. are preferable to the paucity of economic opportunities at home;[5] the author's primary source mentioned having taken a day bus from Chinatown to Albany to work at a restaurant there at one point. In the course of their investigation, authorities received hundreds of tips and followed up on numerous leads. Reporter covering criminal justice locally and nationally. A hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. on May 3. In an effort to encourage more witnesses to come forward, A&E reports that Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares offered witnesses immunity from being prosecuted for immigration-related offenses. "We think there is sufficient evidence" for the charges, Horan said, "with or without the bodies.". The bodies of Wu Hong Chen, 53; Shieh Yeh-Mei Chen, 52, and Raymond Chen, 26, have never been found. His final words were, "I didn't murder the Hodges family. Chen then locked up the house and avoided suspicion by making sure that the lawn and exterior were maintained. As it was unusual for Chen to miss work, his coworkers were concerned for his welfare. Upstairs, they discovered the bodies of his 38-year-old wife Hai Yan Li, his 10-year-old son Anthony, and his 7-year-old son Eddy. Chen, 43,. A year after the killings, P. David Soares, Albany Countys district attorney, offered immunity from immigration charges to anyone who came forward with information. To listen please click below or find us wherever you listen to podcasts. Chen's father owned a heating and ventilation company in Taipei and sent his sons to Northern Virginia for their education. I hope Eds rotting in his prison cell thinking about he did. The police needed more evidence before they could rip up the flooring. EDWARD CHEN, who attended the University of Virginia for a time, apparently lived in the Great Falls house for a time before he moved to Herndon, fathered a child, and divorced her mother, Horan said. Soares said law enforcement officials are dealing with "one of the most complicated sets of circumstances [they] ever experienced in an investigation.". But after the March 19 phone call to police by Chen's ex-girlfriend, Vickie Henry, detectives quickly investigated and arrested Chen on March 29. On October 8, 2014, 39-year-old Jin Feng Chen failed to report for work at a Chinese restaurant near his Guilderland, New Yorkhome. The Wine Times Mysteries: The Chen Family Murders (Part 1) on Apple Chen's brother told reporters there that his brother's body had been found on the first floor of the small bungalow, while the other members of the family were found upstairs, covered by a blanket. Police were called to the scene and determined that the family had been killed sometime in the hours before dawn that day by either a knife or a hammer. According to reports, Chen owned a Chinese restaurant. The Chens were a very traditional family, but they came to the U.S. so that the boys could go to school. According to A&E, District Attorney P. David Soares said he thinks the murders were "a very intentional act" and that the Chens were "very intended targets." I think he should have gotten life in prison, because he can still get out around age 60 for good behavior, according to one of the articles. 6 Unsolved Mysteries In Virginia That Will Leave You Baffled Investigators also looked into any possible links to multiple homicide cases involving members of Chinese families in Mississippi and Texas, but found no direct connections, The Altamont Enterprise reported. It's been nearly 20 years since someone murdered nine-year-old Jennifer Short and her parents. Tue, October 8th 2019, 2:15 PM PDT. He requested the services of a public defender, but Judge Jane Delbridge found he has sufficient financial resources to pay for an attorney. Asked how they could be located after so much time had passed, Horan said Thats an art form all by itself.. 7994 Audubon Avenue, #101, Alexandria, VA 22306 - Kenneth J. Russell was murdered here. Horan has indicated he will consider seeking the death sentence for the younger Chen. The circumstances of the Chen family's death had prosecutors and investigators shaking their heads in amazement during a Good Friday press conference where the deaths, and arrests, were announced. [5], Police were slow to release information, and much of what was reported in the early days of the case came from relatives of the Chens who talked to the Chinese media at a news conference in New York City's Chinatown. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Horan said he would not seek charges against Chen's ex-wife, who saw the bodies but did not report the killings, or Reese. Kingstowne 6489 Windham Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22315 - Judith M. Caudill was shot here by her son, Ralph. The woman who alerted authorities three years ago to a triple murder in Great Falls, committed by her ex-boyfriend Edward Y. Chen, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Alexandria to. Investigation Discoverys Forbidden: Dying For Love: Family Matters chronicles the strange incident and shows how the police built a case against the perpetrator even without the bodies. What We Know About The Unsolved 2014 Murders Of The Chen Family Muller is the pastor of Victory Church, located in Albany, which has offered a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. When authorities arrived on the scene, they found 39-year-old Jin Feng Chen dead on the first floor of his home. They specifically believe the Chen family was killed between 3:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. As reported by A&E, authorities noted the bodies of Hai Yan Li, Anthony, and Eddy were covered in blankets. Edward Y. Chen pleaded guilty this morning to three counts of first-degree murder, admitting that he shot his parents and older brother to death in their Great Falls home in 1995, then left. I also think its bullshit that Michael Reese was never charged. Two similar houses in the same neighborhood sold last fall for $825,000 and $1,000,000, according to county records. American Chinese-language media, such as the newspapers World Journal and Sing Tao, widely read among recent immigrants, also sent reporters to cover the case. Bramblett was executed by electric chair on April 9, 2003. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Lets dive into the details surrounding the incident, shall we? The guard . "We really love this house," he said. Ive never heard about this case until today, and Im so mind blown. This was a very intentional act with very intended targets, Soares said in a October 6, 2015 press conference. In a second bed they found daughters Winter (aged 11) and Anah (aged 3); both had been shot at close range, and Anah had sustained mild burns. At this point, the police werent aware that a family was even missing. Unfortunately, they have not been able to identify any viable suspects or persons of interest. It seems that Mandy was Eds motive for killing his family, and kept up appearances like paying the bills and doing yard work.
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