SANTA CLARA, CA – Horrifying circumstances unfolded in Santa Clara, California, as a Google software engineer purportedly killed his wife brutally in their home. Prosecutors found 27-year-old Liren Chen venting violence on his wife, whose lifeless body bore signs of enormous maltreatment.
Authorities responded to a distress call at around 11 am for a welfare check after a worried friend reported that they were unable to reach either Chen or his wife. The friend reported seeing Chen in a startling state of inactivity, kneeling with hands raised, appearing unresponsive, according to the Santa Clara District Attorney.
Responding officers discovered Chen’s deceased wife in the bedroom, her body bearing severe external assault-induced deformities, notably in the head area. Chen, found spattered with blood and wearing scratched and bloody arms, presented one noticeably swollen and discolored arm.
Chen now faces charges of murder. The arraignment has been put on hold as Chen remains under medical observation in the hospital.
Both Chen and his wife, identified by several outlets as Xuanyi Yu, were employees at the prominent tech company Google- a fact that stunned their employers. Google has expressed shock and profound regret at the tragedy affecting their employee Xuanyi.
A LinkedIn profile matching Chen’s identity reveals further details about him. He appears to have been a software engineer working on the recommendation algorithm for YouTube Shorts at Google. Both the deceased victim and the accused studied at Tsinghua University in China and later at the University of California, San Diego, as seen in their respective LinkedIn profiles.
News of the shocking incident not only garnered massive attention nationally, but it also made headlines in China. The leading US-based Chinese-language newspaper, The World Journal, featured the story prominently on its front page, sparking unverified speculations that the murder might be linked to Google’s recent major layoffs.
This brutal act of domestic violence has given cause for serious concern. Santa Clara’s District Attorney, Jeff Rosen, made a statement highlighting the pervasive and destructive nature of domestic violence in our society today.