Married restaurant owner accused of fatally strangling pregnant girlfriend and dumping body
11/04/2022 11:46 am PDT
CHICAGO (TCD) -- A 46-year-old man was arrested and charged after allegedly fatally strangling his 40-year-old girlfriend, who was 37 weeks pregnant with his child.
According to WFLD-TV, the victim, Bilian Fang, was last seen on Oct. 9 in the 3000 block of South Lock Street. She was reported missing the same week. Her boyfriend and restaurant owner Yaer Shen, who was married to someone else, allegedly choked Fang to death on the same day she was last seen.
Police told WFLD they were able to use cellphone and video evidence to identify Shen as a suspect. Shen’s wife was not aware of his relationship with Fang, nor did she know about the pregnancy, WFLD reports.
Shen reportedly appeared in court on Thursday, Nov. 3, and prosecutors said the victim worked for him at his restaurant, Rong Tian. The day Fang went missing, she and Shen allegedly went to his home on the 2800 block of West 36th Street after work.
Fang reportedly used Shen’s phone to call her 14-year-old daughter prior to the fatal choking. She did not have her phone because Shen allegedly broke hers after a verbal dispute.
After allegedly strangling Fang, Shen went to a water plant to dispose of the body, and he covered Fang’s remains with branches. He also reportedly threw her pink jacket and her personal belongings in the woods nearby.
According to WGN-TV, authorities recovered a handwritten note from Shen that read, "I am sorry. I am not a good person. I made you suffer. I got scammed. I know it is irresponsible for me to leave you. I hope we don’t meet in another life."
An autopsy report concluded that the unborn child would have survived if medical treatment was sought immediately after the fatal strangling, WGN reports.
Shen was arrested at his home and eventually admitted to the killing. He was booked into the Cook County Jail on Thursday, Nov. 3 without bond, records show. Shen faces charges of first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and concealing homicidal death, according to WGN.
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