SANTA CLARA, CA – A shocking scene unfolded in a California home as a Google software engineer was found covered in blood, suspected of murdering his wife, as per police reports.
Liren Chen, 27, and his wife Xuanyi Yu, both employees of Google, were the subjects of a welfare check at their residence in Santa Clara, a short distance from the tech company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, according to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office.
An acquaintance of Chen’s, worried about the couple’s safety, dialed 911 on January 16. He reported seeing Chen through a window, seemingly frozen in place on his knees with his hands lifted.
Upon arrival, police were unable to make contact with Chen, who did not respond to phone calls or knocks at the door. Once inside, officers found Chen in the vicinity of the alleged murder scene, his right hand severely swollen and bruised, near the body of his wife.
The authorities reported that Yu had suffered intense blunt force trauma to her head. Chen, discovered with blood on his clothes and scratches on his arm, has been charged with murder. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence.
Due to his ongoing hospitalization, Chen’s arraignment has been deferred until January 22, court documents reveal.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen addressed the issue of domestic violence, stating that despite a decline in fatalities, the depth and destructiveness of such violence remain significant. He urged those suffering from abuse to reach out to local law enforcement for assistance.
Google’s spokesperson, Bailey Tomson, expressed the company’s shock and sorrow over the incident, extending thoughts to Xuanyi’s family and promising support to them and to colleagues grappling with the tragic news.
Both Chen and Yu graduated from Tsinghua University in China and the University of California San Diego, according to their LinkedIn accounts.