Mingdong Chen

Case overview

Mingdong Chen was charged with five counts of murder for the deaths of four children and their mother, Qiao Zhen Li, after a stabbing and butchering incident at the family’s apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He was also charged with assaulting a police officer while being questioned at a precinct after the killings. At his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court, Chen did not enter a plea. Judge Jane Tully ordered him held without bail.

Chen was described as a transient who had been staying with the family for about a week and as having gambled at illegal parlors and used drugs. Multiple accounts described his behavior as agitated, including pounding his hand against electronic gambling machines when he lost.

Timeline

• 2004 — Mingdong Chen arrived in the United States as an unaccompanied minor and applied for asylum as soon as his plane landed.
• June 17 (year not specified) — A federal immigration judge in Chicago ordered Mingdong Chen removed from the United States.
• Friday afternoon — Tony Chen, 37, said he ran into Mingdong Chen on 57th Street and chatted; he said Chen “seemed agitated” and “In recent days, he didn’t have so much money.”
• Saturday evening — Police said Chen stabbed and slashed the victims in their necks and torsos, and the five deaths were discovered in the apartment.
• Saturday night (approx. 11 p.m.) — Li’s sister-in-law and her husband banged on the family door, found Chen covered with blood after he opened the door, and fled; they then called 911.
• Sunday — Prosecutors and police described Chen’s confession and motive; Chen was in custody and had not yet been arraigned at that point.
• Monday (arraignment) — Mingdong Chen was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on five counts of murder and did not enter a plea; Judge Jane Tully ordered him held without bail.
• Monday (school letter) — Public School 105 principal Johanna Castronovo sent a letter to parents in English and Chinese stating that three students had passed away.
• Monday (set next court date) — Chen’s next court date was set for Friday, when a grand jury was expected to determine whether to indict him.
• Tuesday (additional reporting date as stated) — Additional reporting described Chen’s confession motive and immigration history.

The offence

Mingdong Chen was accused of stabbing and butchering the victims in their necks and torsos using a kitchen knife, described as a meat cleaver. Police said the injuries included decapitation of a child.

Victims

• Linda Zhuo, 9
• Amy Zhuo, 7
• Kevin Zhuo, 5
• William Zhuo, 1
• Qiao Zhen Li, 37

Prosecutors stated in a criminal complaint that each of the four children—Linda Zhuo, 9; Amy Zhuo, 7; Kevin Zhuo, 5; and William Zhuo, 1—and their mother, Qiao Zhen Li, 37, died from cuts to the neck.

Reports described decapitation of the one-year-old boy. Police also said the victims died from stab wounds to their necks and torsos.

Investigation

Police said Chen struggled to find a steady life in the United States and bounced between Chinese neighborhoods in New York and Chicago before returning to the city a little more than a week prior to staying with his cousin in Sunset Park.

Police officials described the crime scene and stated that the victims were cut and butchered and that most of the wounds were to the neck and torso. Chief of Department Philip Banks III said: “It is with great sadness that I must inform you that three of our students have passed away,” but the quote was attributed in the school letter; Banks also said: “It’s a scene you’ll never forget,” and “It’s a scene you’ll never forget,” in separate reporting.

Police said Chen was charged in connection with assaulting a police officer while being questioned after the killings.

Police said Chen’s interrogation was conducted in Mandarin, with Chen speaking through a Mandarin translator.

Chen’s statements and confession

Multiple accounts described Chen’s statements. The complaint included the statement: “I know I am done.” Chief of Department Philip Banks III described Chen as making “a very soft comment that since he came to this country, everybody seems to be doing better than him.”

Chen was described as implicating himself in the killings. A source told the New York Post that: “The family had too much. Their income (and) lifestyle was better than his.” Chen was also described as confessing that he went on the rampage because he envied the family’s income and lifestyle.

Arrest and custody

After the killings, Li’s family members arrived at the apartment and found Chen covered in blood. They fled, called 911, and detectives investigating responded quickly.

In Brooklyn Criminal Court on Monday, Chen appeared with two bruises on his forehead as described by his attorney, Danielle Eaddy. Eaddy said she did not immediately request a psychiatric hearing.

Chen was taken from the home barefoot, his feet caked in blood, in handcuffs.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale described Chen as a “transient” and an “undocumented alien.” An immigration hold was also placed on him.

People involved

Defendant

• Mingdong Chen (25) — charged with five counts of murder and assaulting a police officer; ordered held without bail by Judge Jane Tully.

Family and victims

• Qiao Zhen Li (37) — victims’ mother; died from cuts to the neck; stabbed in the neck and torso.
• Linda Zhuo (9) — child victim; died from cuts to the neck.
• Amy Zhuo (7) — child victim; died from cuts to the neck.
• Kevin Zhuo (5) — child victim; reported as mortally wounded and later pronounced dead.
• William Zhuo (1) — child victim; decapitated as reported.

Relatives and witnesses

• Tony Chen (37) — known Mingdong Chen for several years; described Chen as agitated and told reporters he ran into Chen on Friday afternoon on 57th Street; said Chen “seemed agitated” and “In recent days, he didn’t have so much money.”
• Yi Lin Zhuo (31) — children’s father and Chen’s cousin; was at work when the killings occurred; later made funeral arrangements at the scene.
• Johanna Castronovo — principal of Public School 105; wrote a letter to parents in English and Chinese.
• Mark Hale — assistant district attorney.
• Danielle V. Eaddy — defense attorney; said Chen appeared to have “good-size bruises that I believe happened while he was in custody.”
• Philip Banks III — Chief of Department in the New York Police Department; described the crime scene and statements attributed to Chen.
• May Chan — neighbor who described hearing and learning about the deaths.
• May Chee — neighbor who described Qiao Zhen Li watching children and using a cellphone while watching from her front stoop.
• Gao Yun (29) — identified herself as Li’s cousin; described Chen as emotionally unstable and said he came illegally from China.
• Yun Gao (29) — described Chen as emotionally unstable and said he came here illegally from China; did not elaborate.
• Jeffrey E. Singer — contributed reporting as stated.
• Charlotte Fu — additional reporting as stated.
• Julie Turkewitz — contributed reporting as stated.
• J. David Goodman — contributed reporting as stated.
• Verena Dobnik — author as stated.
• Rocco Parascandola — author as stated.
• Edgar Sandoval — author as stated.
• Simone Weichselbaum — author as stated.
• Tina Moore — author as stated.
• Emma G. Fitzsimmons — contributed reporting as stated.
• Mei-Yu Liu — contributed reporting as stated.

Immigration-related officials and entities

• United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — issued a statement describing Chen as an “immigration fugitive” after “absconding” from Chicago and described that a detainer was lodged.
• Federal immigration judge in Chicago — ordered Chen removed from the United States.

Trial and court proceedings

Charges and plea

At arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court, Mingdong Chen was charged with five counts of murder for the deaths of four children and their mother, Qiao Zhen Li. He did not enter a plea.

Additional reporting described assaulting two police officers who acted as interpreters during interrogation.

Court decision on bail

Judge Jane Tully ordered Mingdong Chen held without bail.

Defence and injuries noted in court

Defense counsel Danielle Eaddy pointed to two marks on Chen’s forehead and described them as: “good-size bruises that I believe happened while he was in custody.” Eaddy did not elaborate further on the cause in court. She did not immediately request a psychiatric hearing.

Chen’s next court date was set for Friday, with a grand jury expected to determine whether to indict him.

Additional details

Family living situation and discovery of bodies

The family was found in various rooms in their apartment on the first floor of a two-story brick house. Some were hospitalized and pronounced dead; others died at the scene.

Three families who lived in other apartments inside the brick row house at 870 57th St. were in the process of moving out.

A shoe rack outside the apartment door held children’s little pink sneakers. Floors inside the apartment were covered in dried blood. A sign on the wall outside the door read “Safe outside and in” in Chinese, with cartoon figures of four kids over the Chinese characters.

Public School 105

Public School 105 mourned the weekend’s events in Sunset Park. Principal Johanna Castronovo wrote in a letter to parents on Monday, in English and Chinese:

“It is with great sadness that I must inform you that three of our students have passed away,”
“In school, our staff members are working already with the children to provide them with information and to help them express the pain and sadness they might be experiencing.”

A 9-year-old classmate described the memory wall:

“It’s a big wall, and then we write the things that Linda did to us,”
and said of Linda: “She’s a kind and helpful student,”
“She always shares things with other people. When I need pencils, she lets me use her pencils.”

Neighbourhood and behaviour before the killings

Police said loud late-night arguments could be heard from the street before the killings.

Neighbors said Chen was unemployed after being fired from a string of restaurant jobs held for just a few weeks at a time.

A neighbour reported:

• “They run around by my garage playing. They run up and down screaming. They’re little kids ... that’s so heartbreaking. Innocent kids, my God.”
• “He was freaking out,” and “He just came home from work and saw the police and they told him. He was hysterical.”
• “We live upstairs. We are scared. How can we not be scared?” and “No good to stay. Everyone knows death is here.”

Another neighbour described Chen being taken away:

• “He was barefoot, wearing dungarees, and he was staring, he was expressionless.”

Complaint, described brutality, and weapon

Chief Philip Banks III said:

• “It’s a scene you’ll never forget,” and described the killings as “cut and butchered with a kitchen knife.” Police said the mother tried to call her husband and other relatives but was unable to get through.

The weapon was described by the police as a large kitchen knife, described by authorities as a meat cleaver. Police said all victims had wounds to their necks and torsos.

Immigration status and deportation history

Additional reporting stated Chen had been dodging deportation since June 17, when a federal immigration judge in Chicago ordered him removed.

ICE stated:

Chen became an “immigration fugitive” after “absconding” from Chicago, his last known address.
“ICE had no information about his whereabouts until his most recent arrest in New York,” ICE said.
“ICE has lodged a detainer against Mr. Chen. After the full adjudication of the current pending criminal charges — to include a conviction and any potential prison sentence — Chen will be remanded to ICE custody for removal from the country.

Another account said Chen arrived in 2004 as an unaccompanied minor, applied for asylum on arrival, and his application and a series of appeals were denied. ICE described that it had no information about his whereabouts until his most recent arrest in New York.

Employment and language

Police said Chen was unemployed and that he was fluent only in Mandarin Chinese. Reporting also stated Chen remained fluent only in Mandarin Chinese and was described as not speaking English and having no arrests in New York or Chicago.

School-age children and mother’s role

The children’s father learned the news through a police interpreter of Chinese after the killings. Reports said Qiao Zhen Li stayed at home with William before the incident.