China immigrant admits to fatally stabbing 5

New York - A Chinese immigrant who
neighbours said struggled to survive in
America was arrested Sunday on five
counts of murder in the stabbing deaths
of his cousin's wife and her four children
in their Brooklyn home - using a butcher
knife.
The suspect, 25-year-old Mingdong
Chen, implicated himself in the killings
late on Saturday in the Sunset Park
neighbourhood, police said.
"They were cut and butchered with a
kitchen knife," said Chief of Department
Philip Banks III.
Two girls, 9-year-old Linda Zhuo and 7-
year-old Amy Zhuo, were pronounced
dead at the scene, along with the
youngest child, 1-year-old William Zhuo.
Their brother, 5-year-old Kevin Zhuo,
and 37-year-old mother, Qiao Zhen Li,
were taken to hospitals, where they also
were pronounced dead.
Chen is a cousin of the children's father
and had been staying at the home for
the past week or so, Banks said. He
came to the United States from China in
2004 and seemingly struggled to make
it, Banks said.
"Ever since he came to this country,
everybody seems to be doing better
than him," he said.
On Saturday night, Chen had apparently
been acting in such a way that
concerned Li, Banks said. She tried to
call her husband, who wasn't home, but
couldn't reach him.
Banks said Li called her mother-in-law in
China, who also was unsuccessful in
reaching her son. The mother-in-law
reached out to her daughter, who lives
in the neighbourhood, Banks said.
She and her husband came to the house
and banged on the door, then called
police. Officers in the area investigating
another matter responded, Banks said.
"It's a scene you'll never forget," he
said. The victims had wounds in their
necks and torsos.
Chen was in custody and wasn't
immediately available to comment. He
also faces counts of assault on a police
officer, which happened while he was
being processed, and resisting arrest,
Banks said.
Bob Madden, who lives nearby, was out
walking his dog when he saw a man
being escorted from the building by
police. He was barefoot, wearing jeans,
and "he was staring, he was
expressionless," Madden said.
Yuan Gao, a cousin of the mother, said
the man had recently moved to the
area and had been staying with different
people.
Fire department spokesperson Jim Long
said emergency workers responded just
before 23:00 to an emergency call from
a person stabbed at the residence in
Sunset Park, a working-class
neighbourhood of adjoining two-story
brick buildings with a large Chinese
community.
Neighbour May Chan told the Daily
News it was "heartbreaking" to learn of
the deaths.
"I always see [the kids] running around
here," Chan said. "They run around by
my garage playing. They run up and
down screaming."
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