Post by BrianSullivan on Jul 15, 2010 8:06:46 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-07-14/Front_Page/Family_grieves_for_lost_relatives.html
June 16 murders claimed lives of brother and sister in Freehold Borough
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Amother and father have lost two of their four children, a daughter and son have lost a mother and uncle, and a husband has lost a beloved wife and brother-in-law in a pair of murders that shook Freehold Borough on a warm evening in June.
As the Chen family of Freehold Borough tries to pick up the pieces of the lives that were shattered on June 16 when Yao Chen, 28, and his sister Yun Juan Chen, 39, were killed in their family’s home on South Street, Freehold Borough, the stark realization of the emotional, physical and financial needs of this grief-stricken family become blatantly visible.
(In their initial reports on the murders, law enforcement authorities reversed the ages of the two victims.)
Two young men from New York City were arrested in Freehold Borough shortly after the killings occurred and have been charged with murder. Authorities said the men went to the home on South Street believing there may have been a significant amount of cash at that location. It is not known why the Chen siblings were murdered.
In an interview arranged by Freehold Borough police Lt. Mark Wodell, members of the Chen family expressed the pain and inconsolable sorrow they are feeling. The interview took place at police headquarters.
Danyu Chen, 22, the daughter of Yun Juan Chen, spoke on behalf of the family members.
Chen said her family came to Freehold Borough from Philadelphia in 2003 to open a restaurant. She said her family members came to the United States from China at various times in the l990s.
Chen sat with her father, Jin Chen, and her grandmother, Muchu Chen. As she spoke, her father sat silently and kept his eyes down, trying to keep his emotions under control. Her grandmother cried silently, then moaned softly, as she relived the horror of losing two children.
Yet somehow, broken hearts gather strength when another loved one is in need. The concern of the Chen family at this time is for the future of Ya Li, the wife of Yao Chen. Li is pregnant and lives in China.
“She has never worked,” Chen said of Yao’s wife. “He supported her completely, spending six months in China with her and six months in Freehold working at the restaurant. How will she support the child? It is very difficult for grandparents to support a baby.”
Chen and her grandfather, Duan Lian Chen, are working with officials, including Congressman Chris Smith, to try to bring Ya Li to the United States so she may be with her late husband. A memorial service is expected to be held for him when she arrives.
The Chen family owns the Golden Taste restaurant on Jackson Street and must keep the business open because it is their only source of income. The family will not return to their home on South Street. The Chens are currently living in a hotel.
Chen said the restaurant’s regular customers have supported the family during this difficult time.
“They come in and they cry with us. They loved my mother. She was always so nice to the customers. She was such a nice person and everyone loved her,” Chen said. “And my uncle, he was a very funny guy and well liked.
“He is my favorite uncle and he was so generous to me. When he would go to China, he always brought me back presents, handbags, clothes, even though he had no money. He was so generous.”
Chen said her brother, Zefeng, 20, who recently graduated from Colts Neck High School, works at the restaurant. She said he is having a very hard time coping with the loss.
“He used to get orders from my mother who would call them out to him all the time. Now, no more,” she said. “I must take her place now and it is so hard to do this and not see her.”
Chen, who attends Rutgers University, is now working full time at the restaurant to help her family. She is due to graduate from Rutgers next year if she is able to return to school in the fall.
She explained that she tries to keep her emotions in check for her family and said, “My mother worked all day, and my father, too. We all work so hard. There is nothing but the restaurant. We were never able to spend any time together, not even for a family dinner. If we went out to the mall, we would have to go two at a time, while the rest stayed at the restaurant. We were never able to spend time altogether.”
Weeping softly, she said, “We don’t even have a family picture. Now that will never happen. It was always the restaurant. I tell my friends this, to be with their families. We won’t ever be together again.”
Chen said her mother rarely went home during the day, but on June 16 she was very tired and her father told her to go home and rest. Chen said she believes her mother was killed while she was sleeping. The murders occurred in the late afternoon hours.
Although Chen’s grandmother did not verbally participate in the interview, at its conclusion she searched in her purse and retrieved several photos of her children that she seemed to want to share.
One photo was of the brother and sister smiling. The picture was taken in China about a year ago and showed a lovely woman who looked 10 years younger than her age and a young man with a slight build and wildly spiked hair. Both had beautiful smiles and beautiful eyes.
“Why do they kill my children?” Muchu cried. “I have lost my two children. I have lost half my life.”
Wodell said Freehold Borough PBA Local 159 and the legal firm of Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munoz, of Freehold Township, are seeking support for the surviving members of the Chen family.
Donations may be made in any amount to “The Charitable Fund of Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munoz Inc.” and sent to the firm at 100 Willowbrook Road, Suite 100, Freehold 07728.
The Chen family is looking for an individual who speaks Fuzhounese Chinese. Chen said her grandmother needs counseling and requires a person with that specific language skill. Anyone who may be able to assist in that aspect may contact the Freehold Borough Police Department at 732-462-1234.
June 16 murders claimed lives of brother and sister in Freehold Borough
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Amother and father have lost two of their four children, a daughter and son have lost a mother and uncle, and a husband has lost a beloved wife and brother-in-law in a pair of murders that shook Freehold Borough on a warm evening in June.
As the Chen family of Freehold Borough tries to pick up the pieces of the lives that were shattered on June 16 when Yao Chen, 28, and his sister Yun Juan Chen, 39, were killed in their family’s home on South Street, Freehold Borough, the stark realization of the emotional, physical and financial needs of this grief-stricken family become blatantly visible.
(In their initial reports on the murders, law enforcement authorities reversed the ages of the two victims.)
Two young men from New York City were arrested in Freehold Borough shortly after the killings occurred and have been charged with murder. Authorities said the men went to the home on South Street believing there may have been a significant amount of cash at that location. It is not known why the Chen siblings were murdered.
In an interview arranged by Freehold Borough police Lt. Mark Wodell, members of the Chen family expressed the pain and inconsolable sorrow they are feeling. The interview took place at police headquarters.
Danyu Chen, 22, the daughter of Yun Juan Chen, spoke on behalf of the family members.
Chen said her family came to Freehold Borough from Philadelphia in 2003 to open a restaurant. She said her family members came to the United States from China at various times in the l990s.
Chen sat with her father, Jin Chen, and her grandmother, Muchu Chen. As she spoke, her father sat silently and kept his eyes down, trying to keep his emotions under control. Her grandmother cried silently, then moaned softly, as she relived the horror of losing two children.
Yet somehow, broken hearts gather strength when another loved one is in need. The concern of the Chen family at this time is for the future of Ya Li, the wife of Yao Chen. Li is pregnant and lives in China.
“She has never worked,” Chen said of Yao’s wife. “He supported her completely, spending six months in China with her and six months in Freehold working at the restaurant. How will she support the child? It is very difficult for grandparents to support a baby.”
Chen and her grandfather, Duan Lian Chen, are working with officials, including Congressman Chris Smith, to try to bring Ya Li to the United States so she may be with her late husband. A memorial service is expected to be held for him when she arrives.
The Chen family owns the Golden Taste restaurant on Jackson Street and must keep the business open because it is their only source of income. The family will not return to their home on South Street. The Chens are currently living in a hotel.
Chen said the restaurant’s regular customers have supported the family during this difficult time.
“They come in and they cry with us. They loved my mother. She was always so nice to the customers. She was such a nice person and everyone loved her,” Chen said. “And my uncle, he was a very funny guy and well liked.
“He is my favorite uncle and he was so generous to me. When he would go to China, he always brought me back presents, handbags, clothes, even though he had no money. He was so generous.”
Chen said her brother, Zefeng, 20, who recently graduated from Colts Neck High School, works at the restaurant. She said he is having a very hard time coping with the loss.
“He used to get orders from my mother who would call them out to him all the time. Now, no more,” she said. “I must take her place now and it is so hard to do this and not see her.”
Chen, who attends Rutgers University, is now working full time at the restaurant to help her family. She is due to graduate from Rutgers next year if she is able to return to school in the fall.
She explained that she tries to keep her emotions in check for her family and said, “My mother worked all day, and my father, too. We all work so hard. There is nothing but the restaurant. We were never able to spend any time together, not even for a family dinner. If we went out to the mall, we would have to go two at a time, while the rest stayed at the restaurant. We were never able to spend time altogether.”
Weeping softly, she said, “We don’t even have a family picture. Now that will never happen. It was always the restaurant. I tell my friends this, to be with their families. We won’t ever be together again.”
Chen said her mother rarely went home during the day, but on June 16 she was very tired and her father told her to go home and rest. Chen said she believes her mother was killed while she was sleeping. The murders occurred in the late afternoon hours.
Although Chen’s grandmother did not verbally participate in the interview, at its conclusion she searched in her purse and retrieved several photos of her children that she seemed to want to share.
One photo was of the brother and sister smiling. The picture was taken in China about a year ago and showed a lovely woman who looked 10 years younger than her age and a young man with a slight build and wildly spiked hair. Both had beautiful smiles and beautiful eyes.
“Why do they kill my children?” Muchu cried. “I have lost my two children. I have lost half my life.”
Wodell said Freehold Borough PBA Local 159 and the legal firm of Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munoz, of Freehold Township, are seeking support for the surviving members of the Chen family.
Donations may be made in any amount to “The Charitable Fund of Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munoz Inc.” and sent to the firm at 100 Willowbrook Road, Suite 100, Freehold 07728.
The Chen family is looking for an individual who speaks Fuzhounese Chinese. Chen said her grandmother needs counseling and requires a person with that specific language skill. Anyone who may be able to assist in that aspect may contact the Freehold Borough Police Department at 732-462-1234.