Yi-Tung Weng, 48
Yi-Tung Weng, a 48-year-old Asian woman, was found dead Sunday, Feb. 1, in the 1300 block of South Figueroa Street downtown, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 7:30 p.m., Weng and her son got into a verbal dispute, police said. Weng became upset and threatened to kill herself several times and her 22-year-old son became increasingly angry by the threats.
The son then allegedly tied Weng’s hands and feet then tortured her with a hammer, stabbed her with a nail and forced objects down her throat.
The man initially reported the killing as a suicide. Police arrived and Weng was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:19 p.m., said Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations for the coroner’s office.
Weng, of Taiwan, was visiting her son, who was attending college in Los Angeles.
The son, later identified as Chen Chao Ming, was charged Feb. 4 with one count of capital murder with an allegation that the murder involved torture, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Ming was also charged with one count of animal cruelty. Prosecutors believe that he threw a cat out a window.
Anyone with information can call the Central Division detective desk at (213) 833-3750. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
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