A young man named Edward Chen was charged with shooting his father, mother and brother with a rifle, stuffing their corpses into duffel bags weighted down with concrete, and dumping them in Chesapeake Bay. 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. 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. 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. Detectives also looked into local crime syndicates and reports of human trafficking. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) The family of a man shot and killed in 2017 has filed a lawsuit against the security guard accused of his murder as well as his employer and a community association. The guard . Do you still find out new things about old friends that are surprising, like military school or bachelor party destinations? Ed offered Michael $100,000 and a new car. 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. Jin Feng Chen and Hai Yan Li were natives of China's Fujian province. Open Case Virginia: Fire Fuels Fresh Suspicion About Short Family Murders (WDBJ7 News) Short Family's Former Henry County Home Destroyed by Fire; Cause Unknown (WSLS News) If you know anything about the murder of the Short family, please call the FBI's major case contact center at 1-800-225-5324, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov On the other hand, people living near the Chen residence mentioned that after 1995, Edward often came over to maintain the houses exterior to give it a lived-in vibe. [2], Having found Blaine Hodges' body next to a gun, police at first theorized that Blaine had killed his family and then himself; Blaine, a former U.S. Michael Reese was not charged with his crime. Sources involved in the investigation say Chen allegedly handled large amounts of off-the-books cash that came from an underground economy of undocumented Chinese restaurant workers running from New York City to upstate New York and beyond, the Times Union reported. Bramblett was executed by electric chair on April 9, 2003. Horan had announced that he would not seek the death penalty, but Chen still could have faced three life sentences if convicted by a jury. Authorities eventually determined the murders occurred in the early morning hours of October 8, 2014. Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Spooner at (703) 246-7800, or contact Crime Solvers by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting TIP187 plus your message to CRIMES(274637). Investigation Discovery released this preview of the program: To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. They dismembered the bodies, poured concrete on them, put them in duffel bags and took them out to the Chesapeake Bay and dumped them. [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. A World Journal reporter in attendance later told the Albany Times-Union that she and her colleagues believed the family knew more about what might have led to the killings than they were ready to say publicly. It was discovered that Bramblett punched his time card at work 20 minutes after the fire was started (the drive time from the Hodges home to his job was 20 minutes) and, after realizing his error, attempted to black out the entry on his time-card. [11] All were involved in running a family restaurant;[6] investigators there believe the three were killed by professional assassins dispatched from New York City. "There were so many cultural impediments, language barriers[b] and an overwhelming sense of fear", among the members of the local Chinese immigrant community detectives attempted to talk to, Albany County district attorney David Soares recalled later. Vickie said she had information about her exs dead family that were killed in August of 1995. Tune in next week to hear from our favorite neighborhood papaya hater. Can we all agree a one year statute of limitations on disposing a body is RIDICULOUS? At the time of his arrest he was living in an apartment he rented at Worldgate in Herndon. Although Virginia does not have parole, it does reduce sentences slightly for good behavior. Friday, a family member had attempted to contact the family and visited the house when he or she was unable to make contact, a FairfaxCounty police representative said. They didnt have bodies or evidence, besides the word of two of Eds exes. Chen said he shot them because they were trying to break up his relationship with his girlfriend. 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. Ed had told Vickie his parents and brother had all died tragically. 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. 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. Catherine Kitty Pappas Murder: Is George Joseph Cvek Dead or Alive. . 6 Unsolved Mysteries In Virginia That Will Leave You Baffled 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. [2] Firefighters and police found fire burning throughout the house. The murders captivated the region for decades. Drawings of stick figures with arrows that corresponded to the Hodges' bullet wounds were found at Bramblett's place of employment. 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. HENRY COUNTY, Va. . The woman told a police dispatcher that on Aug. 17, 1995, when Chen was 19, he shot his father, Wu-Hung Chen, 53; his mother, Yeh-Mei Chen, 52; and his brother, Raymond, 25. He said he bought a rifle at K-Mart. 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. Chen family killings Cheshire home invasion murders Chisolm Massacre Clutter family murders Darnell Collins Kevin Cooper (prisoner) 2011 Copley Township shooting Corbly Family massacre Manuel Martnez Coronado Covina massacre Cowden family murders Lugano District shootings D Dardeen family homicides Dawson murder case 2011 murder of the Ding family He kept his family's remains there until 1999, when a pipe burst and the house flooded. Fairfax Man Admits Killing Parents, Brother - The Washington Post Ed was with his five year old daughter, Samantha, at the time and he said he wanted to say goodbye to her. Kingstowne 6489 Windham Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22315 - Judith M. Caudill was shot here by her son, Ralph. 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. Also, how do you WILLINGLY help someone cut up bodies and dump them. Shortly after, Edward Chen began dating Mandy Kolbe. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. My brother and my parents." Although he admitted Chen hosted card games, he said they were intimate events that were only attended by family and close friends (viaA&E). Bramblett's sister provided police with a box he had left with her, which contained several audiotapes on which he spoke of his sexual attraction to 11-year-old Winter Hodges, and of his belief that the family, including Winter, was conspiring to set him up for child molestation charges. Fairfax County tax records indicate that while the family home changed hands in 2000 for $310,000, it is valued at $702,780 for tax purposes today. Reporter covering criminal justice locally and nationally. Three people found dead inside a home in McLean, Virginia, on Friday died in a double murder-suicide, police said. I hope Eds rotting in his prison cell thinking about he did. When our officers drive by the [Chen] home, I dont think there is any officer that doesnt think about what happened there that day.. You have to actually be sitting across from the person who did that to ask that question. 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. Most Infamous Family Murders in History - Us Weekly [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]. [10] Later it was reported that police had found 18 mattresses on the floor in the basement of the Chen house, further suggesting that the family had been involved in trafficking undocumented workers. Police responded and discovered the bodies inside. What exactly do you call a gathering of Chads? All Rights Reserved. 7994 Audubon Avenue, #101, Alexandria, VA 22306 - Kenneth J. Russell was murdered here. Their daughter is now 6. The Chens were very successful business people, they lived in a nice mansion in a very wealthy neighborhood. 60 is still pretty young, and who knows, he could hurt someone else again. Asked how they could be located after so much time had passed, Horan said Thats an art form all by itself..
