QUEENS, N.Y. — A Brooklyn man has been indicted for murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 55-year-old woman in her Flushing apartment in 2022, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Shao Tong Lian, 41, was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon for the killing of Fang Chen. Authorities said Lian had arranged to pay Chen for sex and stabbed her less than 20 minutes after arriving at her residence on 41st Road.
“As alleged, this defendant arranged to pay the victim for sex and then brutally stabbed her to death less than 20 minutes after arriving at her apartment,” Katz said. “Our condolences are with the Chen family as they continue to mourn her loss.”
According to the indictment, surveillance footage shows Chen letting Lian into the building around 8:53 p.m. on August 25, 2022. He was seen leaving roughly 15 minutes later at 9:08 p.m. The next morning, Chen’s roommate discovered her body face down in a pool of blood on the bedroom floor.
Chen had sustained four stab wounds to the neck, 10 to the back, defensive injuries to her right hand, and a blunt injury to her head, according to the District Attorney’s Office. DNA recovered at the crime scene was matched to Lian.
Defendant remanded, faces life sentence if convicted
Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant ordered Lian held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court on June 24. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Queens District Attorney’s Office in collaboration with the New York City Police Department.