A 27-year-old Google software engineer has been charged with the murder of his wife, Xuanyi Yu, also a Google engineer, in their home in Santa Clara, California.
On January 16, 2024, police were called to the couple’s residence on Valley Way for a welfare check initiated by an acquaintance of Liren Chen.
The person expressed concern after being unable to reach Chen or his wife, Xuanyi Yu, and observed Chen through a window, appearing motionless on his knees with his hands in the air, staring blankly.
Upon entering the home, police found Chen covered in blood, with his right hand extremely swollen and purple. Nearby, they discovered the body of Xuanyi Yu, 27, on the bedroom floor, showing severe blunt-force injuries to her head.
Chen, found with blood on his clothing, legs, arms, and hands, and with scratches on his arm, allegedly admitted to first responders, “I punched my wife,” suggesting the attack occurred the day before. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Chen with murder, and he remains hospitalized. His arraignment has been postponed.
The couple, both alumni of Tsinghua University in Beijing and the University of California, San Diego, had purchased their Santa Clara home in April of the previous year for approximately $2.05 million.
Chen worked on the YouTube Shorts recommendation algorithm at Google, while Yu was a software engineer at the company, having previously worked at Amazon.
Google spokesperson Bailey Tomson released a statement expressing the company’s shock and deep sadness over the incident and extending support to Yu’s family and colleagues.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized the ongoing issue of domestic violence, noting that while deaths have been declining, the depth and destructiveness of such violence remain significant.
