"Student Beheaded At Virginia Tech"

Xin Yan, the girl that was decapitated. - She was sitting in a cafe with some friends when she was beheaded.
@ahgong (10064)
Singapore
January 27, 2009 11:19am CST
[i] Jan 22 2009 12:00AM BLACKSBURG, Virginia — A graduate student from China was decapitated with a kitchen knife in a campus cafe at Virginia Tech by another graduate student who knew her, police said Thursday. Xin Yang, 22, was killed Wednesday night after arriving at the campus from Beijing on Jan. 8 to begin studying accounting, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said. Her accused attacker, 25-year-old Haiyang Zhu of Ningbo, China, knew the victim but no motive for the slaying has been determined, Flinchum said. School records showed that Haiyang was listed as one of Xin’s emergency contacts. [/i] A full news article of the report can be found here -- http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24951560-663,00.html The local papers does not have much details about the beheading. I wonder if there are any updates to this case. The girl was beheaded. What would drive a person so mad that he would want to behead someone?
8 people like this
17 responses
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
28 Jan 09
I did some research into this. "While a fellow teaching assistant described Zhu as personable, his landlord at Sturbridge Square Apartments said the student behaved oddly and was "belligerent" at times." This came from http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-virginiatech-slaying0123jan23,0,5572031.story There's more, including what the police have found in Zhu's room and what people who knew him had to say about him. I have no idea if he did this because he is mentally disturbed (psychotic) or if there was some kind of desire he had for the girl which was not reciprocated. (Actually, to decapitate someone because of unrequited love, they MUST be psychotic to begin with!) They DID find an unmailed letter in his apartment which was sealed with a red 'kiss' but the article didn't go into any more detail. To have decapitated her with a kitchen knife, he must have been out of his mind with anger which tends to give people extraordinary strength. I can't imagine what this girl's family is going through right now! I feel so sorry for them! I'd love to see the law allow her family decide what to do to this guy, and allow them to do it!
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
I am sure the family is not having an easy time with this. Imagine sending your daughter to an overseas college to study. The bright future and hopes you have for her. Now all gone because some guy gone berserk and killed her. And for reasons, till now, is not clear as to why he killed her. For some reason, there is a hush hush over this incident as compared to the killing spree that happened in the same college a little while back.
@suruchi86 (1873)
• India
4 Jul 09
Really shocking. I can't believe it. How can a person do that. By the way, could you got some more updates on this news during last 6 months ? Thanks.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
4 Jul 09
Nope. Have not seen much on this since the news broke 6 months ago. I too am wonder what happened to the fella who killed her. And his reason and motivations behind his actions.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
6 Jul 09
yeah... the killer was caught. Cos he was parading her decapitated head around the school yard after the killing. And he did not run when the police arrested him.
@suruchi86 (1873)
• India
5 Jul 09
I hope, the killer must have been nabbed by now.
1 person likes this
@34momma (13882)
• United States
28 Jan 09
i have no idea what would drive someone to do something like this. i don't know if anyone could ever know what makes people do things like this to others. even if we did know, would that make it any less painfull or hurtful? i doubt it.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Well, hope that this incident will be a lesson to people. The reason for the killing. The factors that lead to it. The signs to look out for. All these would be useful to observe in order to prevent a similar incident from taking place.
@nancyrowina (3850)
27 Jan 09
That sounds awful, it must be quite hard to decapitate someone with a kitchen knife so whoever did it must have been determined, and to do it in front of people in a cafe shows he must have been pretty crazy too. In the article it says they were "Virginia Tech" students, that's where those terrible shootings happened quite recently too. You have to wonder why so many crazy violent things are happening to that college.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Yeah... to remove any parts from a chicken is already tough. Let alone remove the head from a person! In a cafeteria too! He must have really gone bonkers at the moment in time. And super strong too. Cos he need to subdue the girl first before he can perform his gristly deed! And yeah, I too wonder why so many killings are happening to the same school within a short period of time. Other unnatural forces at work, you think?
1 person likes this
5 Feb 09
Or maybe they pressure the kids too much to do well and they go crazy or something.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
That is one possibility. We cannot rule anything out at this moment.
• United States
30 Jan 09
god what is that school cursed now?!?!
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Well, I am thinking along that line now. As they say, once is accident. Twice is coincidental. I sure hope that there will not be any more such sad news coming from the school. Or any other school for that matter!
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
29 Jan 09
wow shouldn't this be all over the news? that is crazy.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Yeah, one would think so too. But it seems that there is a hush hush for this incident in the press. Makes you wonder why there is such a vast difference in the coverage of this incident compared to the last one.
@xbrendax (2662)
• United States
27 Jan 09
That is sickening! I believe it was one of three things: Either it was a crime of passion, (usually known as over kill), or she somehow dis-honered or shamed the family, or he was totally insane! What made him do it we will probably never know but I sure hope the monster gets what he deserves!
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Yeah, that is what I am thinking as well. Caught in a place far away from home. Surrounded in an environment that is stressful. Couple it with not many friends or relatives to gripe to. It is the perfect conditions for a time bomb waiting to explode. And the incident with this girl, what ever it may be, was the trigger that made him, well, explode! The news are not following up on this case much. I wonder why.
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
27 Jan 09
It's a tragic story. I feel terrible for the young woman and her family, but also for the Virginia Tech community, because they've had two tragic events in the last couple of years.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Yeah, condolences to the girl's family. Makes one wonder why Virginia Tech is having such tragic events so close to each other, doesn't it?
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
28 Jan 09
That is crazy, how extreme!!!!!! The victim seemed to just recently arrived at the school. what could have provoked the other person to behead her. My heart goes out the the family of the victim. This happened so far from her home, and her family must be devastated. Evidently they knew each other, since the killer was a contact person. I don't get it.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Well, according to the report, there is no apparent reason for the attack as well. All we can do now is only to speculate. Best to wait for the definitive report to see how the investigations have gone.
@Jlyn22 (204)
• United States
27 Jan 09
Thats just sad. I cant believe how people are. I hope he gets what he deserves for doing that. And I cant believe he did it with other people witnessing it. Between that and the other killings that happend there I would never want to go to that school and if I was already going there I would leave asap.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Yeah, the school is in for a major overhaul of its image after this. I guess the killer must be so mad, he is oblivious to the environment he was in when he did the killing. Something about tunnel vision or something I guess. Like a cat targeting its prey when it is ready to attack. I sure hope there are more reports about this in the papers so that we can all understand what is going on.
@j47lee (740)
• Canada
28 Jan 09
hmm.... you never know the reason why someone would do that.... did you guys hear about the alberta decaptivation.... where this chinese guy slayed and decaptivated this young guy on the bus..... in the student case.. maybe he liked her.. but she spurned him maybe... a person may do many things if spurned....... in the bus case.. maybe he was discriminated against in his work place..and thats why he killed the first person he saw... maybe mentally disturbed......
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
The Alberta decapitation also happened recently, right? Well, when one is bullied and spurned once too many times, he may do crazy things out of the blue. Like a bottle of soda that is shaken once too many times. The contends will just explode out of the bottle suddenly cos the cap cannot hold the pressure that is built up inside the bottle. Sad isn't it?
@sixclix (677)
• Philippines
28 Jan 09
well, if you don't have a strong grasp of what's right, you'll eventually do wrong, in this case, very wrong. Once in a while, or very much more often than that, something really whacked like chopping off someone's head would cross your mind. If you don't know who you are and you're desire to do what's right is not strong, and you're not prepared to handle crazy ideas like that, you'll succumb to it. It's always a good idea to think clearly and not get carried away by emotions obfuscated by passion. This way you don't lose your head......or somebody elses. Have a good one.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Noted.
@tuhtu1 (8)
27 Jan 09
No motive, possibly cycological(how you spell it?:P) problems, or a disagreement that went to far.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
He he he he... the word is psychological. It is possible. Right now, we can only speculate the reason behind the attack. There is very little details reported about this incident other than the article posted above.
• United States
28 Jan 09
What i'm wondering is how it took place in the campus cafe, and how long does it take to fully decapitate someone with a kitchen knife.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Well, you'd have to be there to know for sure. All I know is, it is tough. Imagine, just trying to saw off a joint on a raw chicken is already a difficult task. Imagine now, doing it on a joint that is 10 to twenty times larger. Not only is it tough. It is going to take a lot of strength as well. Really makes me wonder what got over him that gave him so much strength to carry out this horrible task!
@regal_aeros (2605)
• Singapore
27 Jan 09
it's sad especially when the both of them are from the same place. like "kampong" aka village friends. i bet it's some relationship problems. but honestly how on earth can a head be decapitated with a knife? I'm thinking those blunt knifes we find at cafes. How did he saw through her bones man. It's either that or he guy study too much until crazy already. Because he phD right. Permanent Head Damage.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Looking at the way things are, it is either studying at Virginia Tech is really stressful. Or his relationship with this girl gone sour. Or he being an asian, has been bullied once too many times in a foreign country and find it a last straw when a fellow asian bullies him as well? There are so many possibilities. Nothing concrete yet. The news are not reporting any new updates to the story just yet. Will be keeping a look out.
• United States
27 Jan 09
I did not hear anything about this. It sounds really crazy to me. Why would someone do such a treiable thing such as that. I think some people are just unstable and need help. I should read a little about what happened because this is the first time I have heard about this. I also feel this is really sad she had just came to this conutry to learn about something and then her life was ended by what it sounds like one of her own people. What is this world coming to? I wonder if they had a realtionship or something in that nature. Like I said I know nothing about it exept from what you shared so I am gonna look up more about it. Thanks for this discussion and I pray for her family, as well. Happy mylotting to you.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
5 Feb 09
Well, according to the report, they were having coffee together. Then he beheaded her just like that! There isn't much details in any of the news reports available. Looking at the ways things are, I am not surprise if this is a crime of passion. But that is just my opinion. Still looking out for more information in the papers. If you find anything, do share yah?
@theonerm5 (365)
• United States
7 Jul 09
Looks like I'm never going to Virginia Tech! I don't want to go anywhere that they are cutting off heads!