Man stabbed wife 20 times in church on Palm Sunday, CA officials say. He’s convicted
A jury convicted a man accused of fatally stabbing his wife in a California church on Palm Sunday, prosecutors say.
Wyn Leung, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder and felony domestic violence, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a Feb. 1 news release.
The jury was in deliberations for four and a half days, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
In an email to McClatchy News, Deputy Public Defender Eric Quandt, who represented Leung, said that while the office does not “agree with the jury’s decision,” they appreciated “their attention and consideration of the facts we were able to present.”
“Mr. Leung is beloved by his family, friends, and most of all, his children, who will continue to suffer by his incarceration,” Quandt said.
Testimony and evidence during trial showed Leung’s wife had filed for divorce, and a family court counselor recommended that his wife get full custody of their children, prosecutors said.
Days before a scheduled court date in March 2018, prosecutors said Leung searched for his wife at a church where she had attended Palm Sunday services.
He waited for all attendees to leave before entering the church, violating the restraining order his wife had against him, prosecutors said.
Leung asked the pastor to find his wife, saying he wanted to speak with her about child custody, according to prosecutors. But, his wife refused to talk with him, prosecutors said.
Leung ran down the hall of Chinese Christian Church and stabbed his wife in the kitchen, the San Francisco Examiner reported in 2018. The 75-year-old pastor told police she found Leung sitting next to his critically injured wife.
“If I’m going to jail, I might as well die,” Leung said, according to the pastor, the newspaper reported.
Leung then turned the knife on himself, according to prosecutors.
Responding officers took Leung into custody after he refused to drop the knife, prosecutors said.
Leung’s wife was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.
Leung is expected to appear in court again on March 4 for sentencing, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Man stabbed wife 20 times in church on Palm Sunday, CA officials say. He’s convicted."
