SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Court TV) — A Google software engineer is accused of brutally beating his wife to death in their California home.
Liren Chen, 27, was taken into custody Jan. 16 after Santa Clara officers found his wife’s body on the couple’s bedroom floor during a welfare check, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
An acquaintance reportedly called police after Chen refused to answer his phone or door. They told authorities they could see Chen “motionless on his knees, had his hands in the air and was staring blankly” inside the home.
The victim, identified as Xuanyi Yu by The San Francisco Standard, had severe blunt force injuries to her head. Investigators said Chen’s “right hand was extremely swollen and purple” and he was covered in blood. Authorities also noted scratches on his arm.
Chen has been hospitalized since his arrest, according to jail records. He’s scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, Jan. 24.
According to Chen and Yu’s LinkedIn profiles, the couple worked as software engineers at Google.
