A Google software engineer, identified as 27-year-old Liren Chen, has been charged with murder in connection to the death of his wife, Xuanyi Yu, in their Santa Clara home. The shocking incident unfolded on January 16, when police responded to a 911 call expressing concern about Chen’s well-being.
Upon entering the residence on Valley Way, officers discovered a gruesome scene. Chen was found standing in the bedroom, his wife’s lifeless body behind him with severe blunt force injuries to her head. The police statement noted that Chen’s right hand appeared “extremely swollen and purple,” and he was “spattered with blood” on his clothing, arms, legs, and hands. Scratches on his arm were also observed.
The distress call came from an acquaintance of Liren Chen, who reported that Chen was unresponsive to phone calls and door knocks. When officers arrived, they found Chen inside his home, seemingly motionless on his knees with his hands in the air and staring blankly.
The accused, currently hospitalized, faces potential imprisonment if convicted, according to Santa Clara police. The arraignment has been postponed due to his medical condition.
Fox News Digital reported that both Liren Chen and Xuanyi Yu were employed by Google at the time of the incident, confirmed by the tech giant. Chen has been working on an algorithm for YouTube Shorts recommendation, according to the profile. Xuanyi Yu’s LinkedIn profile states that she joined Google as a software engineer in 2021. Earlier, she had been working at Amazon. A spokesperson expressed shock and deep sadness over the tragedy, pledging support for the victim’s family and colleagues as they grapple with the news.
“Domestic violence deaths have been falling in our county but that does not measure the depth and destructiveness of the violence,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a press release. “Anyone who feels that they or someone else is being abused by their partners, please reach out your local law enforcement agency. You are not alone. We can help.”
The background of the couple reveals they studied at China’s Tsinghua University and the University of California, San Diego, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The community, as well as the tech industry, is left in shock and mourning as details surrounding this tragic event continue to emerge.
