Virginia Tech Murder: Graduate student decapitated
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Virginia Tech Murder: Graduate student decapitated...
Xin Yang's picture released. The first officer to arrive described a
Montgomery Co. Jail
Mugshot of Haiyang Zhu, suspect in the murder on Virginia Tech’s campus
Published: January 22, 2009
Updated: January 22, 2009
4:00 p.m.
By Ashley Roberts
WSLS Reporter
It all started at 7:06 p.m Wednesday Night when police received a call that a female student was being assaulted in the cafe at the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson-Brown.
It ended with what police are now calling a horrific crime scene.
Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum says the first officer arrived within one minute. “She found the suspect in the café along with the victim,“ said Flinchum. “It was a horrific crime scene and the victim had been decapitated.“
The victim is 22 year-old Xin Yang.
Police say 25 year-old Haiyang Zhu killed her.
Police say they were having coffee together at the Au Bon Pain restaurant before the murder happened.
“The incident points to an isolated, very personal tragedy,“ said University President Charles Steger.
According to the university, Yang had just arrived at Virginia Tech on January 8 as an accounting student.
Zhu began his studies in the fall of 2008…both international graduate students.
According the university, the victim had listed the suspect as one of her emergency contacts.
Police aren’t sure if they met at the university *or* knew each other prior to attending.
Police say before Wednesday’s murder Zhu had not been under review or had any contact with the Virginia Tech Police Department, Blacksburg Police Department or the university’s threat assessment team.
On Wednesday that all changed. “There are some details in the investigation that we’re not going to be able to talk about at this point after consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney,“ said Flinchum. “But, obviously there’s going to be a court case in the future on this.“
The university is providing counseling support and assistance to the people who witnessed the horrific crime, as well as any other students and employees who need help.
As for the Au Bon Pain restaurant, University Spokesman Larry Hincker says it will remain closed until the space is restored back to its appropriate condition.
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3:40 p.m.
Read the search warrant for Hiayang Zhu’s home
3:18 p.m.
Below is the Hokie Passport (student ID) photo of Xin Yang, the woman who was killed
1:08 p.m.
25-year-old Hiayang Zhu has made an appearance before a judge in Montgomery County.
The international graduate student is charged with first degree murder in the death of Xin Yang, a 22-year-old graduate student. Virginia Tech say both are from China.
At a news conference late Thursday morning, Virginia Tech leaders and Police investigators say Yang and Zhu were having coffee at the Au Bon Pain cafe inside the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown, when the attack happened. Police say Zhu decapitated Yang with a large kitchen knife.
Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum says officers arrived on scene one minute after receiving the first 911 call. Dispatch says they received two 911 calls about a woman being assaulted.
When the first officer arrived, Chief Flinchum says the officer found both the victim Yang, and Zhu. The officer noticed Zhu had blood on his clothes, and Yang had been decapitated. Flinchum described it as a “gruesome scene.“
Chief Flinchum told reporters that to the best of his knowledge, no one intervened during the attack, and there were approximately seven witnesses.
Virginia Tech leaders say Yang listed Zhu as an emergency contact in paperwork filed with the university.
Reporter Rex Bowman with our Richmond newsroom the Richmond Times-Dispatch, asked Chief Flinchum if the two had argued, or if witnesses heard Zhu scream anything before the attack. Flinchum said they were waiting for a consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and could not release those details of the investigation.
Flinchum later said neither Virginia Tech Police records, nor records from the neighboring Blacksburg Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office showed any previous contact with Zhu.
Tech leaders said Yang had not been at Virginia Tech for very long.
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11:38 a.m. News release from Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va., January 22, 2009—Virginia Tech Police have confirmed the name of the female graduate student murdered yesterday evening in the university’s Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown.
She was Xin Yang, a 22-year-old graduate student from Beijing, China. She had just arrived at Virginia Tech Jan. 8 to begin her studies in accounting in the Pamplin College of Business. She was a resident of the Graduate Life Center.
Yang was killed at the Au Bon Pain restaurant on the first floor of the Graduate Life Center at approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. Haiyang Zhu, age 25, from Ningbo, China, was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond at Montgomery County jail. He was a Ph.D. graduate student majoring in agricultural and applied economics. He began his studies at Virginia Tech at the start of the 2008 fall semester. Based on emergency contact records maintained by the university, it is known that Zhu and Yang knew each other.
They were in the Au Bon Pain restaurant when he attacked her. Witnesses indicated no signs of argument and that Zhu attacked her with a knife.
Zhu had not been under review or had come before the workings of the Virginia Tech Police Department, or the Town of Blacksburg Police Department, or the university’s Threat Assessment Team or CARE Team.
The victim’s mother, who is in China, was notified last night via telephone.
University leadership remains concerned about the welfare of the university student community, and particularly the community of Chinese Scholars. The university has counselors on the scene at the Graduate Life Center to assist students, staff, faculty, or others who seek assistance.
The crime scene is secured, but Graduate Life Center residents are free to come and go. Police interviewed several witnesses and are providing counseling support and assistance.
11:33 a.m.
Virginia Tech police say a female graduate student was decapitated on campus Wednesday night
Tech Police says the suspect, Hiyang Zhu used a large kitchen knife.
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Updated Thursday 11:15 a.m.
In a news conference, police announced that the victim was decapitated.
Ten On Your Side Reporter Scott Leamon has been going through court documents this morning. He says that a search warrant says that witnesses told police that the victim and suspect had been seated together earlier in the evening, and it appeared as if they knew each other. The search warrant also says that the victim listed the suspect as her emergency contact on offical Virginia Tech records.
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Updated Thursday 11:01 a.m.
We’re learning more information about the suspect. Court documents show Haiyang Zhu has been living in the New River Valley since August 2008. He was pursuing a PhD.
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Updated Thursday 10:02 a.m.
Virginia Tech to hold news conference at 11am. WSLS.com to live stream - WATCH IT HERE at 11
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Letter from Charles Steger about the killing
Updated Thursday 8:04 a.m.
Mugshot of suspect Haiyang Zhu added.
He is being held without bond.
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12:04 a.m. Thursday
By WSLS News Staff
Virginia Tech just sent out an updated news release.
Virginia Tech Police charged 25-year-old Haiyang Zhu with first degree murder, for the deadly stabbing of an internation Asian female graduate student that took place Wednesday night.
Officers say Zhu is from China, and is also an international student at the school. Police believe the two knew each other.
Police have not released the name of the victim, pending notification of her family overseas.
Zhu is being held without bond.
Tech leaders say students living at the Graduate Life Center in Donaldson-Brown can enter and leave their rooms. Others are ebing asked to stay away from the area tonight. Tech plans to re-open the building Thursday morning.
Students are reminded that campus counseling resources are available through the Cook Counseling Center (231-6557), the Dean of Students Office (231-3787) and the Graduate Life Center, which will have counselors available beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.Students are reminded that campus counseling resources are available through the Cook Counseling Center (231-6557), the Dean of Students Office (231-3787) and the Graduate Life Center, which will have counselors available beginning at 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning.
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Reader Reactions
Everyone can talk about what they would do if they were in that situation…but if you were acutally there you might react a little different than what you say. (go ahead and fuss at me saying that) but you’ve never experienced something like that… so you don’t know how you’d really react. How do you even know what they did when you weren’t there that night? Why are people trying to make the witnesses of this horrendous act feel bad for something that they couldn’t prevent? ‘Cause you and I both know that those people would’ve stopped him if they knew what his intentions were when he first walked in that cafe…
I’m sure none of the witnesses sitting in the cafe were prepared for something like this to happen. It’s not usually an everyday occurance to so someone getting decapated. If I was one of those witnesses I would have wanted to help of course but there is a guy with a butchers knife right there! Obviously if he is going to pull a knife out on a girl that he is having coffee with he is not going to think twice about a stranger that is trying to help her out. What do you expect someone to fly accross the restaurant to resuce her? Anyone would be scared, confused, and surprised by the whole thing. A wound of the neck is enough to kill someone and if your on the floor bleeding that is enough to tell me its too late to help other than call the police and an ambulance.If someone would have stood up what would you want them to do? Jump on him with a huge knife in his hand. There is really nothing you could have done to stop this no matter how nice it would be to change the world, it doesn’t just work like that. Those witnesses are having a hard enough time dealing with what they saw and all you can say is they should have been prepared for something like this? They are going to remember this traggic event for the rest of their life…give them a break!
The police responded within 1 minute of the 911 call. That is as fast as could be expected. And I respect most police officers because they have saved my life in my time of need when no one else would do nothing but watch. So from my past experience, yes you should be able to defend yourself, and no you should not depend on anyone to help you. You are all missing the whole point. A girl died. We can’t change the past and unless you were there you have no clue what you would have done. I follow no one. I am not one of those cult personalities that plays follow the leader in a time of crisis. If there were time to plan an attack on the person (that would be more than a few minutes) than I would do what I could. But I really believe these people did not have that time. I would much rather be the one alive to her about what a great hero you were when you were stabbed to death trying to play Superman. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for judging those kids. If you think you are so big and bad and can be at every horrible situation that happens and make this huge difference,and do a better job, get off your assss and become a police officer. They deal with things like this all of the time and it rarely makes the news. I mean you think you can save the world and fly from one crime to another in a matter of seconds. Get real!!
I like all the eye-witless testimony but there are only 7 witnesses that know the truth, and why they stood and watched the event (if that is what the did and if there were 7 witnesses).
How can someone comment on the length of time it takes to cut off a head (as one did)?
And in a time when everything and everybody is a terrorist (keep an eye on your neighbor!!!), and the tela-lie-vision is pumping those that watch with the “knowledge” of how to act, feel, think I can only expect our fellow citizens to be cowardly, and meek, and weak, and without thought. The idiot talking heads (TV “news”) tell us “... never do anything yourself, call the police!“ Yes the hero’s of crime!!
If a citizen helps someone in distress they risk getting sued do to a need for greed in our once great country. NOW get that TV on so you can stay “Plugged In”.
Thank You for bringing the context of the conversation back to the present. Unfortunately, this terrible tragedy has exposed a conversation more regarding the principle of an attempt. I have read a lot about this event, and I have no reason to think that the witnesses carry any responsibility for what happened, nor do i think that they may have been able to effect the outcome. I do not blame them, or call them cowards. The principle that we may live in a society where we are taught to turn a blind eye…..... that is what concerns me. The conversation that this type of behavior is a viable teaching is frightening.
The situation was not apparent at first. The victim and suspect were just having coffee, sitting and talking. There was nothing out of the blue. Then he had his arms wrapped around her as if he was hugging her. Obviously this is when he made his move because the next thing people noticed was blood on the ground along with the two. The witnesses didn’t know what was going on until it was too late, and they did everything they could to call the authorities and protect themselves. This act was horrific and it is not your place to condemn these witnesses. They have experienced something that noone could ever imagine, yet you call them cowards for not interviening. If you were at a coffee shop, drinking away and conversing with some friends would the thought of someone getting hugged run through your mind as the possibility of a murder to occur? No. People react differently in every situation. This was an unspeakable act of violence that was the direct result of a deranged mind. My heart goes out to thoes who witnessed this and the the families that have to live with their losses. No one should ever have to lose someone so early and violently.
Its refreshing to know that there are a few people here that have some sense.
As for you Heathert or whatever your name is, obviously you are the wife of a donut sucking LEO. That would explain your attitude.
I still stand by my earlier statement…something could have been done if the idiot cops and slackers VT refers to as “security” (what a joke) would have been on their feet. And if at least 2 or 3 of the 7 cowards who were there would have been able to think for themselves and take some initiative to help that girl.
I don’t understand how you can possibly think it is okay to stand by and let someone be murdered without trying to do anything.
People like you will never get it, you live in your own little bubble where you truly believe all LEOs are upstanding individuals…you probably believe everything the press and media feed you as well. I nailed it earlier when I said you were a follower, a member of the worthless sheeple out there.
I know if my daughters were in that situation, it would be to late for any help. I would hope the self defense classes they have had would help. And there is no wrong answer. I am just being honest about what I would do, and what I would have my daughters do. And they are also taught to never depend on anyone to help them, so they know they have to help themselves. Don’t be so judgmental. I am not judging you for the way you think, even though we all know that until you have been there you don’t know what you would do. Just like saying you weren’t going to respond! We all say were are going to do things but it changes depending on the situation!
I’m sure you’d be singing a different song if your daughter had a knife to her throat in public, not too mention having her head chopped while people like you stick your head in the sand. I guess I’m naive enough to know what I’d want somebody to do if I needed help.
Oh and….....you’re absolutely wrong.
Black francis you are the idiot. My husband has responded to calls where people tried to be superheros and more than one person was hurt or killed from it, whereas only one would have been hurt. I could care less what kind of children you raise, as for mine I will raise the child that will help if possible and but have enough sense to leave when nothing can be done. I am sure by the time those kids realized what was actually happening, that girl was dead. You talk as if these kids had time to stand around and make this great plan….it was over in minutes!!!!! Your comment doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t trust a perfect stranger standing next to me to jump on a crazy man with a knife. What a naive world you must live in. And until you have walked in those shoes and had to make a life or death decision stop judging those who have!!! Oh and my children do have a great Father and a pretty damn good MOMMY too. Pray for the 7 victims that witnessed this horrible tradgedy.
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