Sam Amico
Ongoing tensions between a mother of two and her male roommate are believed to be what led to the neighbor bludgeoning the woman to death with a hammer, police said.
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Zhao Zhao, 43, was murdered and her t 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter are in critical condition after the attack in the Sunset Park neighborhood of New York City.
Liyong Ye, 47, has been charged with murder and attempted murder, police said. He lived in the same three-bedroom apartment as the victims.
The husband and father of the victims lives primarily in Ohio, supporting his family while working in a restaurant there. He occasionally returns home to New York, and sent out a heartfelt message on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
“My dear wife, I owe you an apology,” Zhao’s widower wrote. “I hope you can bless our child to get through this difficult time. My kids, dad just hopes you can get through this.”
The children were rushed to a Brooklyn hospital and remained in critical condition as of Thursday, per the New York Post.
Police have not released a motive for the killing, though the Post reported that Zhao and Ye often argued over the WiFi and sharing the kitchen and overall noise.
Ye had been living in one of the rooms with a 9-year old son, the Post added. Zhao and her children shared another room. A third tenant lived in the the other room. The attack reportedly was carried out in front of Ye’s son.
Per the Post: “Ye, who was taken to Maimonides Medical Center early Thursday after telling cops he was feeling faint, didn’t utter a word when he was later perp-walked from the 72nd Precinct ahead of his pending arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court.”
Police said they recovered a bloody hammer from inside the apartment, adding that Ye has no prior arrests or documented run-ins with law enforcement.
“I think I can speak for all New Yorkers when I can say our community, our prayers are with this family at this time,” Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
