Uncle Wanted in Teenage Nephews' Killings Arrested in Hong Kong

A 44-year-old man wanted in connection with the beating deaths of his two teenage nephews in their Arcadia home was taken into custody by Hong Kong authorities Saturday when his plane arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, according to U.S. law enforcement officials.

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will work with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong to initiate the extradition of Deyun Shi,’ according to a sheriff’s department news statement.

Shi was already being sought for an alleged assault with a hatchet on his wife Thursday night in La Canada Flintridge, according to Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Eddie Hernandez. Shi had reportedly become enraged upon finding out that his wife had begun divorce proceedings and obtained a restraining order against him.

The two brothers, 15 and 16, were found Friday at 12:40 p.m. at their home in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue. They appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, Hernandez said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

They were identified as Arcadia High School students William and Anthony Lin, according to a statement from the Arcadia Unified School District.

Arcadia police had responded to a 911 call from a woman at the home who was the mother of the two teens. She discovered the bodies, according to sheriff’s Deputy Lisa Jansen.

Once it was learned that Shi boarded a flight to China, the FBI began assisting in attempts to apprehend him, a bureau spokeswoman said.

Shi’s vehicle was recovered by the sheriff’s department.

The boys’ parents left their apartment to visit Shi’s wife in a hospital Thursday night and didn’t find their sons’ bodies until Friday, according to the sheriff’s department.

A candlelight vigil for the boys sponsored by the Arcadia High School Parent Teacher Student Association was scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the school.

The school district said in a statement it will “provide additional counselors and support services this week when students return to school, and for as long as they are needed.

“We are beyond saddened to learn of the death of the Lin brothers, William and Anthony, who attended Arcadia High School,” the statement said. “The loss of William and Anthony will be felt by the thousands of students, staff, friend and family that loved and knew them well in our tight-knit community. We know our community will stand united as we go through this unthinkable tragedy together. We ask everyone to please respect he Lin family’s privacy during this extremely difficult time.”

--City News Service