The Virginia Tech Cafeteria Murder
Yang was thrilled to begin her graduate studies at Virginia Tech. She was determined to make the most of her time in the United States and wanted to meet new people. She reached out to the Chinese student organization and was delighted to find a group of students who shared her background and culture.
One of the first people she met was Zhu, a PhD student in agricultural and applied economics. He was friendly and charming, and Yang enjoyed spending time with him. However, it quickly became clear that Zhu was interested in more than just friendship.
Zhu fell in love with Yang almost instantly. He admired her intelligence, her sense of humor, and her kind heart. He longed to be with her and couldn't help but hope that she might feel the same.
Unfortunately, Yang was already engaged to someone back in Beijing. She tried to let Zhu down gently, explaining that she valued his friendship but did not have romantic feelings for him. Zhu was devastated by the rejection and struggled to come to terms with his feelings.
One day, Zhu asked Yang to meet him for coffee at the main cafeteria on campus. She agreed, thinking that he simply wanted to talk and catch up. When she arrived, however, she could see the anger and hurt in Zhu's eyes.
He accused her of leading him on and wasting his time. He told her that he had fallen in love with her and that she had broken his heart. Yang was taken aback by Zhu's outburst, but she tried to explain that she had never intended to hurt him. She reiterated that she was engaged to someone else and that she valued Zhu's friendship.
Zhu didn't want to listen, however. He was too hurt and angry to see reason. He lashed out at Yang, saying hurtful things. He then grabbed Yang and pulled a knife from behind his back and stabbed her. Zhu threw Yang to the ground and sat upon her, where he then decapitated her.
The people in the cafeteria where stunned and chaos ensued, with people running about trying to escape the scene. Zhu stood over Yang's body, holding Yang’s head in his hand until the police arrived and arrested him. Zhu went on trial for murder and is now serving a life prison sentence.