The first-degree murder conviction follows the 2023 death of Xue Feng Wu.
NEWPORT, RI — A Portsmouth man was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday in the killing of his landlord, who prosecutors said was attacked with a hatchet inside a garage at a rental property during a dispute tied to an eviction case.
The conviction closes the trial phase of a case that began nearly three years ago, when 50-year-old Xue Feng Wu of Tiverton vanished after going to check on his rental property. Authorities said Wu was killed on May 22, 2023, and his body was later found in woods behind the home, covered by a tarp. The defendant, Jacob Morrill, was also convicted of additional charges related to moving Wu’s car without permission and using Wu’s credit card. Sentencing is scheduled for late April.
Prosecutors told the court that Wu arrived at the West Main Road property in Portsmouth on the same day Morrill was scheduled for an eviction hearing. The state argued that an argument started in the garage and escalated quickly. During the confrontation, Morrill grabbed a hatchet and struck Wu multiple times, prosecutors said. In court, the judge cited evidence that Morrill later told police he “snapped,” a statement authorities said came after officers began trying to figure out why Wu had not returned home.
The case began as a missing-person concern. Police said Tiverton officers contacted Portsmouth police at about 4:30 p.m. on May 22, 2023, asking them to check on Wu’s welfare after he left Tiverton earlier in the day and could not be reached. Officers went to the Portsmouth address and spoke with Morrill, who was renting the property, investigators said. Morrill told officers that Wu had been there earlier and then left to go to court in Providence, police said at the time. With no clear sign of a crime, officers initially cleared the scene.
Hours later, the situation changed. Investigators said police received information that led them back to the property, and Morrill later contacted authorities and said he had struck and killed Wu. Police said Morrill agreed to meet officers near a Mobil gas station, where he was taken into custody. Investigators said Morrill then directed police to the victim’s body in a wooded area behind the property, along a path off the rental home. Wu’s body was found wrapped in a tarp and weighed down with fencing and other items, authorities said. The judge said Morrill also admitted he tried to clean the area and move the body.
An autopsy described the violence of the attack in stark terms. The judge said the medical examination documented as many as 48 wounds on Wu’s body. Prosecutors argued that the number and severity of injuries supported a finding of premeditation and intent consistent with first-degree murder. The defense challenged the state’s account and argued that the case did not meet the legal standard for first-degree murder, but the judge ultimately found Morrill guilty after reviewing testimony and evidence presented during the trial.
Wu’s death reverberated through a small coastal community more accustomed to seasonal traffic than headline crimes. Police leaders in 2023 described the killing as rare for the town, and the landlord-tenant relationship at the center of the case added another layer of attention. Court records from the early stages of the case showed Morrill faced a first-degree murder charge and additional counts alleging he drove a vehicle without the owner’s consent and made fraudulent use of a credit card totaling more than $100. Prosecutors said those charges stemmed from actions taken after Wu’s death, when the victim’s car and card were used without permission.
The case also moved through the formal steps that follow a homicide investigation in Rhode Island. After the arrest, a Newport County grand jury returned an indictment charging Morrill with first-degree murder along with the vehicle and credit card counts. Morrill pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was held without bail as the case moved toward trial. Over time, the charges narrowed into a trial focused on what happened in the garage and what Morrill did afterward, including the movement of the body and the handling of Wu’s property, prosecutors said.
In the courtroom on Monday, the tone was measured but the details were not. Prosecutors described a confrontation that unfolded out of view, inside the garage, and ended with Wu dying at the property he owned. The judge found the state proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The conviction means Morrill now faces sentencing on the murder count and the related charges. In Rhode Island, a first-degree murder conviction carries the possibility of life in prison, and attorneys are expected to argue over the appropriate sentence at the next court date.
Outside court, the case has remained closely watched because it began as a routine check tied to a landlord’s visit to his property and ended with a deadly assault. Wu, who lived in Tiverton, left home that morning to check on the Portsmouth rental and did not return, police said. Investigators have said they pieced together the timeline through interviews, evidence found inside the home, and statements Morrill made to officers after he was detained. Police said they recovered the alleged weapon and other evidence during searches carried out with warrants.
Morrill’s sentencing is set for April 27, and the hearing is expected to include arguments from prosecutors and defense lawyers, along with statements that may be offered about Wu and the impact of his death. For now, the conviction stands as the court’s conclusion on what happened in the garage on May 22, 2023, and the case shifts to the question of how long Morrill will spend in prison.
Author note: Last updated March 3, 2026.