Earl Conrad Bramblett (March 20, 1942 April 9, 2003) was an American mass murderer, convicted for the killing of four members of the Hodges family in August 1994 in Vinton, Virginia. [3] In addition to the NYPD and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), both of which made interpreters available, investigators had reached out for help to police departments not only in other North American cities with large Asian populations, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Montreal, but to law enforcement in China, as well. Police are continuing to investigate and said autopsies will be done to determine the victims' exact cause and manner of death. Soon they had a new baby daughter. 6624 Sky Blue Court, Alexandria, VA 22315 - Samuel Appiah-Kusi murdered his wife, Monica O. Telfer, then committed suicide here. Interestingly, when Vickie called the police, she claimed that her ex, Edward Chen, was responsible for murdering the rest of his family. Chen allegedly held a gambling party the night before he was murdered, and the killer wanted to steal cash from the home, according to a report by Sing Tao, a Chinese language newspaper cited by the Times Union. "The media probably knows as much about it as we do. Open Case Virginia: Fire Fuels Fresh Suspicion About Short Family Murders (WDBJ7 News) Short Family's Former Henry County Home Destroyed by Fire; Cause Unknown (WSLS News) If you know anything about the murder of the Short family, please call the FBI's major case contact center at 1-800-225-5324, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov On May 29, 2019, Rachel Ozuna, her 14-year-old son Kyrrus and her boyfriend, Michael Coleman, were found in their Arlene Acres Drive home bound with their throats cut. However, Mandy allegedly never reported the incident to the police out of fear and instead settled with Edward before having a child together and staying married for a year. [1], At around 4:30a.m. on August 29, 1994, a passerby reported a fire at the Hodges residence in Vinton, Virginia. Kowalski said she does not have any faith that the gruesome crime will ever be solved. He was sixty-one years old at the time of his death, choosing the electric chair over lethal injection as a form of protest. Interestingly, neither of them was reported missing up until then, and their neighbors theorized that the family might have gone away to Taiwan for good. People still talk about it., As for whether he believes the Chens will ever get justice, Gosh, he says, after pausing a beat. Other rumors suggest Chen hosted a gambling party at his home in the evening before he and his family were killed. "That's satisfactory.". This page is not available in other languages. The police could tell when she was telling them about it she was being honest, and she was having to relive the horrific day. [5], Around midday on October 8, 2014, a coworker of Chen's at the King's Wok restaurant where he worked became concerned when he had not reported for work or called to say he would be absent or late. 'An entire family was wiped out': Henry County Sheriff's Office to re Samantha was eventually picked up that day by a friend of Eds. "We really love this house," he said. Ed had told Vickie his parents and brother had all died tragically. HENRY COUNTY, Va. A decades-old murder case now has new leads. Their . During her conversation with 6 News, she said, "Everyone knows this will be unsolved forever. I personally think 36 years is a light sentence for 3 brutal murders. Ed moved out, except he didnt take everything. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/12/10/fairfax-man-admits-killing-parents-brother/5008dc2d-f891-41bf-bcff-c3f1aaeb9148/, https://www.monstersandcritics.com/tv/true-crime/murders-of-wu-hung-weh-mei-and-raymond-chen-by-edward-chen-spotlighted/, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/04/05/bodies-left-in-home-4-years-police-say/0b278b65-6233-4641-9a92-9db52de7ab2d/. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Bramblett's sister provided police with a box he had left with her, which contained several audiotapes on which he spoke of his sexual attraction to 11-year-old Winter Hodges, and of his belief that the family, including Winter, was conspiring to set him up for child molestation charges. You have to actually be sitting across from the person who did that to ask that question.. Vickie said she had information about her exs dead family that were killed in August of 1995. The brothers lived in a house in Herndon, and each graduated from Herndon High School. "He can't get out until he's 60," Horan said. Ed was arrested for killing his family on August 17, 1995. The triple murder case at a home in Great Falls involved the Chen family. Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection, Presidential Appointment for Mount Vernons Horticulture Director, Good Shepherd Partners with Amazon in Housing Quest, Expo Emphasizes Environmental Stewardship in Mount Vernon. Short family murders | Special task force finds a few new leads Edward Chen, the Chens' younger son and Raymond's younger brother, is now charged with three counts of murder. "I want to apologize to my family and friends," Chen said in court, speaking publicly for the first time, "especially my daughter, for what I put them through. In a second bed they found daughters Winter (aged 11) and Anah (aged 3); both had been shot at close range, and Anah had sustained mild burns. Most Infamous Family Murders in History - Us Weekly [2], Having found Blaine Hodges' body next to a gun, police at first theorized that Blaine had killed his family and then himself; Blaine, a former U.S. Police reported no past issues at the Chen homes, or complaints from neighbors. The woman told a police dispatcher that on Aug. 17, 1995, when Chen was 19, he shot his father, Wu-Hung Chen, 53; his mother, Yeh-Mei Chen, 52; and his brother, Raymond, 25. Although the police had no idea that the family was missing, she claimed that the triple murder occurred in August 1995. Tune in next week to hear from our favorite neighborhood papaya hater. Lets dive into the details surrounding the incident, shall we? However, Mandy never turned Ed in, they got married, had a child together and were married for about two years. Five years later, no answers in Chen family quadruple murder in - WRGB . Chen family killings - Wikipedia Soares said law enforcement officials are dealing with "one of the most complicated sets of circumstances [they] ever experienced in an investigation.". Authorities said they believe the attacker or attackers used a knife and hammer to kill the family. Chen told relatives in Taiwan that his family had died in a car accident in the United States. It also said that an unnamed source had told the paper that Chen had shut down his restaurant two years earlier and his wife was in the U.S. illegally. He said that Mandy Chen had not committed a crime and that the statute of limitations had expired for Reese's part in the crime. During their time there, a number of mysterious events occurred, including the "disappearance" of an illegitimate baby birthed by one of the students and the death of Mary's son, John, found burned to death in his bed. He went to the Chens' house a half-mile (1km) away, on Western Avenue (U.S. Route 20), a busy four-lane highway, and found the bodies. [2] Firefighters and police found fire burning throughout the house. It was implied that Chang and his family might have been killed by an attendee who knew he kept large amounts of cash in the house. Franklin was put to death in 2013 for a different murder. Ultimately, pressured by the investigation, the police had to carry out a search of the Chen family home, as well as the Chesapeake Bay, since the bodies were allegedly dumped there. It was pretty devastating, Muller says of the crime. Hello, listeners We're taking a break from Beyond Belief for a few weeks (but staying in the 90s) to cover a true crime case that is local to MM's neck of the woods and we have a coincidental connection to: the Chen Family murders in Great Falls, Virginia in August 1995. She said both of the brothers "were sweet." Tue, October 8th 2019, 2:15 PM PDT. After a clemency petition to Governor of Virginia Mark Warner was rejected, along with an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Bramblett was executed in the electric chair for the murder of the Hodges family at Greensville Correctional Center, Jarratt, Virginia, on April 9, 2003. It was a shock for everyone. Although the police were reluctant to believe Vickie initially, she stuck to her story and even claimed to have more witnesses. Chen, 43,. But the reasons why you would take the life of children? Police believe the murders took place sometime between 3:30 and 6:30 a.m. Chen was found downstairs, while his wife and two children were found upstairs, covered with blankets, the Albany Times Union reported. Rainbow Girl Murders Book Stirs Modern Controversy - West Virginia The Chens' former home on Elmview Place is hidden from the road, obscured behind a thick screen of hardwoods and native Virginia cedars. Ed had to tip toe around his relationship with Mandy, even buying two apartments so his parents wouldnt find out. Horan had announced that he would not seek the death penalty, but Chen still could have faced three life sentences if convicted by a jury. The police decided to go the Chen house, but at this point it was owned by another couple. [2] Bramblett displayed anger and stated that the "son of a bitch offed his family and killed himself", which indicated prior knowledge and immediately made him a prime suspect.[1]. Michael Reese was not charged with his crime. The combined plea and sentencing hearing brought an abrupt end to a case that unfolded just as suddenly nine months ago, when Chen's ex-girlfriend called Fairfax County police and revealed Chen's secret. What We Know About The Unsolved 2014 Murders Of The Chen Family That night, he admitted to investigators that he had purchased a .30-30 Winchester rifle, went into his family members' bedrooms in the middle of the night and shot them. On Saturday, police identified those killed as Shirley Zhou, 48, James Wenjie Chen, 16, and Hong Chen, 52. Ed was with his five year old daughter, Samantha, at the time and he said he wanted to say goodbye to her. Soon police gathered additional incriminating evidence against Bramblett. Police: McLean Man Shot, Killed Wife, Son Before Killing Self In addition, two women testified that, in the 1970s, Bramblett had given them alcohol and molested them when they were eleven and fourteen years old.[1]. The boys father was in the United States legally, but their mother was not, according to unnamed sources quoted by Newsday. When Leslie Leon Burchart was arrested in 2000, he admitted to murdering at least 7 elderly women in 1996 during a killing spree that spanned 6 months. The child, who was living with her father, is being cared for by friends, Horan said. Edward Y. Chen pleaded guilty this morning to three counts of first-degree murder, admitting that he shot his parents and older brother to death in their Great Falls home in 1995, then left. Despite an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies that reached as far as Canada and China, the brutal killings of a family of four in upstate New York remain unsolved. The brutal, unsolved quadruple homicide has affected the community deeplyand is still on peoples minds, Pastor Charlie Muller told A&E True Crime. In the early afternoon of October 8, 2014, a coworker of Jin Chen, 39, of Guilderland, New York, United States found the bodies of Chen, his wife and their two children in their home. A witness had seen a vehicle similar to Bramblett's driving past the Hodges home during the fire, without stopping. Raymond Chen began working in real estate, including overseeing five Fairfax properties his parents bought, and Edward Chen enrolled at the University of Virginia. [3], In 2018, Robert Patnaude, commander of state police Troop G, which covers the Albany area, reiterated earlier pleas for help from the public, noting that sometimes even apparently trivial and innocuous information has solved cases. People who knew the family stated how they routinely traveled to Taiwan to meet their relatives, despite the fact that they were thought to be kind-hearted and relatively kind. According to some reports, large amounts of cash which came from various sources financed an underground network of undocumented Chinese citizens living in the area. Horan said he would not seek charges against Chen's ex-wife, who saw the bodies but did not report the killings, or Reese. Although the childs mother is in the area, care for the child will have to be sorted out by some court, Horan said. [3], A year after the killings, Scott Coburn, head of the state police's criminal investigations bureau, said that 600 leads had come in from various sources, which he considered to be unusually low for a crime this serious. 5 charged in Virginia triple murder of family; two victims from Utah | KUTV Five men are each charged with three counts of first-degree murder related to thebrutal May 2019 Virginia. The Chens were a very traditional family, but they came to the U.S. so that the boys could go to school. He was sentenced to 36 years in prison. In the meantime, the younger Chen, like his brother a graduate of Herndon High School, sold the family's home in Seneca Knoll for $310,000. "There was no suggestion that Mr. and Mrs. Chen had died in the United States. Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond Chen Murders: Where Is Edward Chen Now? It was the first quadruple homicide to occur in New York's Capital District, the region surrounding Albany, the state capital. The. In the early afternoon of October 8, 2014, a coworker of Jin Chen, 39, of Guilderland, New York, United States found the bodies of Chen, his wife and their two children in their home. At his arraignment Monday, Chen told the court he is not employed. After the boys deaths, the local school district created a memorial scholarship in their name to benefit a graduating senior going into a field of study related to the environment. [5], Police were slow to release information, and much of what was reported in the early days of the case came from relatives of the Chens who talked to the Chinese media at a news conference in New York City's Chinatown. In the weeks following the murder, local Pastor Charlie Muller's church donated $5,000 for a reward. Ed finally took Mandy to his parents house, and showed her the bodies. Jin Feng Chen, 39; his wife, Hai Yan Li, 38; and their children, Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, were found bludgeoned to death October 8, 2014 inside their bungalow in Guilderland, a suburb of Albany, New York. Chen and his wife were from the province of Fujian, on the southeastern coast of China, and came to the United States in the early 2000s. As reported by A&E, the brothers both enjoyed working with plants and were part of the school's garden club. Police were called to the scene and determined that the family had been killed sometime in the hours before dawn that day by either a knife or a hammer. [5], Bramblett's case was featured on the popular CourtTV crime show Forensic Files - Season 8, Episode 16: "Private Thoughts"[6] and Discovery Channel's The New Detectives - Season 4, Episode 4: "Dead Wrong".[7]. Bramblett was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death on December 16, 1997, after the jury deliberated for one hour. To listen please click below or find us wherever you listen to podcasts. Members of the Henry County Sheriff's Office announced a new task force will take a new look into the murders of the. The bodies of Wu Hong Chen, 53; Shieh Yeh-Mei Chen, 52, and Raymond Chen, 26, have never been found. Edward Chen returned with his family to Great Falls and killed them so that he could continue dating Kolbe, Horan said. The police also took Vickies story with a grain of salt at first, because they maybe thought she was a jealous ex. When he told the same story in the United States, he changed the location of the car wreck to Taiwan, Horan said. The guard . Until one day, he told Mandy that she didnt have to worry anymore. The Chens were reasonably well-off and managed to send their children to prestigious schools in Fairfax, along with owning five properties in the US. Police were called to the scene and determined that the family had been killed sometime in the hours before dawn that day by either a knife or a hammer. Ed admitted to everything. [1] Chief Lawlor said, nonetheless, that there had been no evidence her department knew of that anything illegal was going on at the Chens' house or another one next door that had also been occupied by Chinese immigrants. The Chen family, Wu-Hung, 53, Yei-Mei, 52, Raymond, 25, and Edward, moved from Taiwan to Fairfax, Virginia. Investigators looked into links to gangs and human trafficking, according to media reports. Those barriers are additionally complicated by many of the potential witnesses not only speaking primarily Chinese but, as immigrants from Fujian, "Chinatown community eyed as cops work to solve quadruple slaying upstate", "2 Children Among 4 Found Dead in Home in Upstate New York", "Police, prosecutors stumped over who killed Guilderland family", "Two quadruple killings, two different tales", "Human trafficking, undocumented workers part of Guilderland homicide investigation", "Case of Chinese couple and their two young sons bludgeoned to death in US remains a mystery after a year", "A year after Chinese family murdered, no suspects here or elsewhere", "Mississippi Gulf Coast triple murder getting another look by FBI", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chen_family_killings&oldid=1145067795, This page was last edited on 17 March 2023, at 03:17. Sources involved in the investigation say Chen allegedly handled large amounts of off-the-books cash that came from an underground economy of undocumented Chinese restaurant workers running from New York City to upstate New York and beyond, the Times Union reported. The family was laid to rest at All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, in the New York City borough of Queens. They asked Vickie if she would call Ed and record him confessing. What exactly do you call a gathering of Chads? Eventually, the police discovered blood splatters belonging to Wu-Hung at the Chen family home, but the bodies were never recovered. Local resident Jacob Beard was convicted of the murder in 1993, but he was later acquitted of all charges in a second trial in 2000. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. I hope so.. Read More: Catherine Kitty Pappas Murder: Is George Joseph Cvek Dead or Alive? No one had suggested it. Chen said he shot them because they were trying to break up his relationship with his girlfriend. It was determined that it was Wu-Hungs blood. It's been 20 years since the Short family was killed. In an effort to encourage more witnesses to come forward, A&E reports that Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares offered witnesses immunity from being prosecuted for immigration-related offenses. The house is situated among homes that in today's rising market are valued between $800,000 and $1,000,000. However, their efforts were hampered by seemingly unfounded rumors and language barriers. 60 is still pretty young, and who knows, he could hurt someone else again. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Detectives also looked into local crime syndicates and reports of human trafficking. We're taking a break from Beyond Belief for a few weeks (but staying in the 90s) to cover a true crime case that is local to MM's neck of the woods and we have a coincidental connection to: the Chen Family murders in Great Falls, Virginia in August 1995. Although the police had no idea that the family was missing, she claimed that the triple murder occurred in August 1995. The church runs a childrens home in Guilderland, about five miles from the Chens home. The Chens were in Taiwan more than they were in Virginia. [3], Technological factors also made collecting evidence difficult. said in a October 6, 2015 press conference, Anyone with any information about the case, Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible: The Mysterious Murders of Teenage Best Friends. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Chen Jinfeng () and his similarly aged wife, Hai Yan Li (), natives of Houyu[5] in the province of Fujian on the southeastern shore of mainland China, came to the U.S. in the early 2000s. In the spring of 2002, the Fairfax County police department received a phone call from Vickie Henry, who claimed that Wu-Hung, Weh-Mei, and Raymond had been murdered in August 1995. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist and serial killer, confessed to the murders. Police were also frustrated when Apple refused their initial requests to release the Chens' iPhone records. Edward Chen Mandy got pregnant and Edward married her. The murders captivated the region for decades. The investigation was also made difficult by the reluctance of possible witnesses to come forward, as many were undocumented immigrants. Chen then locked up the house and avoided suspicion by making sure that the lawn and exterior were maintained. Since his English was extremely limited, he had to ask another coworker, a relative of the Chens, to call 9-1-1 for him. Later, he took her to the Chen residence and showed her the bodies of his family members. [1] Further investigation determined that the barrel of the murder weapon had been removed after Blaine had been killed, and that Blaine had been killed before the rest of his family. [3][7] In the first such incident, three members of the same familya married couple and the wife's sisterwere found stabbed in their D'Iberville, Mississippi, home in 2011. Son Charged with Murdering Family in Great Falls The Unsolved Chen Family Murders of Upstate New York Remain Shrouded in Mystery, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/chen-family-murder. I hope that by not going to trial, I saved everyone more pain and suffering. IN THE MEANTIME, another innocent family moved into the house and fell in love with it. Mandy was pregnant at 17, and this didnt make Eds traditional family happy at all. As part of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to 36 years in prison in December 2002. "I shot them. Although he admitted Chen hosted card games, he said they were intimate events that were only attended by family and close friends (viaA&E). The company eventually complied, but Soares said their dealings with it "set us back considerably". Chen family killings Cheshire home invasion murders Chisolm Massacre Clutter family murders Darnell Collins Kevin Cooper (prisoner) 2011 Copley Township shooting Corbly Family massacre Manuel Martnez Coronado Covina massacre Cowden family murders Lugano District shootings D Dardeen family homicides Dawson murder case 2011 murder of the Ding family Investigators have considered links to Chinese American organized crime; there is evidence the Chens may have been involved in illegal gambling and/or the human trafficking of undocumented immigrants from China. He and a friend dumped the bodies in the Chesapeake Bay, and Chen sold the house, keeping the crime not just unsolved but unknown. Anthony and Eddy Chen attended Guilderland Elementary School, where they were both described as happy and thoughtful students. Postal Service employee, was about to serve six months in federal prison for embezzlement. [3], From the beginning there were allegations that the Chens had been involved in illegal business activities in addition to, or even instead of, the restaurant, such as human trafficking, money laundering, or illegal gambling. Chen's father owned a heating and ventilation company in Taipei and sent his sons to Northern Virginia for their education. They specifically believe the Chen family was killed between 3:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. As reported by A&E, authorities noted the bodies of Hai Yan Li, Anthony, and Eddy were covered in blankets. Shortly after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, Chen, 27, was sentenced to 36 years in prison. "I've never seen anything like it", said Carol Lawlor, the town's police chief. Updated: 1:56 PM EDT June 30, 2022. However, in the years before he was killed, the business was not very profitable, and some sources questioned how he maintained his lifestyle with the reduced income. He also said the only person who can answer all of the detectives' questions is the killer. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. In a 2019 interview with 6 News, Muller said the money is still available to anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murders of the Chen family. On Aug. 15, 2002, investigators found Michael and Mary Short dead inside their home in Henry County, Virginia. At Eds trial, his attorney, Peter Greenspun, said the confession should be thrown out because it was coerced. At this point, the police werent aware that a family was even missing.
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