A woman in San Dimas, California, was arrested last month for a lethal sword attack. She is currently facing charges for attempted murder and homicide. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Weichien Huang is being prosecuted for the murder of her wife and the attempted murder of her mother-in-law.
On July 18, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were sent to the 300 block of South Huntington Avenue following disturbance reports. Upon arrival, they encountered Huang walking the street while carrying a Samurai sword. Video footage obtained by local news station KTLA showed the moment deputies approached the suspect, who then laid down her weapon and raised her bloody hands.
Authorities reported that Huang subsequently led them to a nearby residence, where they discovered one woman dead and another injured. The District Attorney's Office alleges that Huang killed her wife, Fei Chen Chen, with the sword at their home. She was also accused of attacking her partner's elderly mother, who survived but had to be hospitalized for a week to get treatment for serious injuries.
District Attorney George Gascón addressed the incident, saying, "We are deeply saddened by this horrific violence and our hearts go out to the victims' loved ones and community." He characterized the attacks as an example of "the insidious problem of domestic violence that affects many throughout our country."
Officials stated that the initial lack of information on the case was because of language barriers, as all people involved mainly communicated in Mandarin Chinese. The latest statement from the District Attorney's Office has provided more clarity on the connections between individuals and the type of purported offenses.
Huang was expected to appear in a Pomona court on July 29 for formal charging. The District Attorney's Office stated that she would face charges of murder and attempted murder, with special allegations of inflicting severe bodily injury on a person over 70 and using a sword during the commission of the crimes.
Prosecutors planned to request that Huang be held on $3 million bail. If found guilty of all charges, she could be subject to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Gascón announced that the Bureau of Victim Services at the District Attorney's Office is ready to offer help to the surviving victim if needed.