Bail has been set at $5 million for an Asian man in custody and facing charges related to the death of a woman, and the assault of another woman.
On Aug. 10, Seattle Fire Department units responded to a welfare check at 3117 NE 133rd Street, after a neighbor reported water flowing from the condo and an unresponsive resident.
According to a probable cause statement, firefighters discovered a dead woman inside the bathroom of the condo. The victim, identified as Zoey He, appeared to have a possible throat injury and was found with an ice pack on her neck.
A man told police that the day before, on Aug. 9, he saw his neighbor, Andy Chu, arriving at the condo with He, carrying groceries, and that he saw Chu leaving the condo alone the following morning. He provided Seattle police detectives with video footage from his Ring Camera, showing Chu leaving his home alone on Aug. 10.
Following the discovery of He’s body, detectives were informed that Chu had been involved in a separate incident at UW Medical Center Northwest in Ballard on Aug. 11. According to reports, Chu had assaulted a nurse in the emergency room. Officers recognized Chu as the suspect in the homicide investigation when he was identified by hospital staff.
Chu, who had been transported to the hospital by friends for what appeared to be a psychotic episode, was later interviewed at Seattle police headquarters. Chu admitted to choking and twisting He’s neck, and placing her in the bathtub. He also said he tried to revive her using various methods, including sprinkling Acal powder on her and performing CPR. Chu claimed he was unsure why he assaulted He, attributing it to her “being weird” and attacking him.
Chu admitted to using drugs, including “Molly” (MDMA).
The case remains under active investigation, and further updates will be provided as new information emerges.
Such a stupid incident. So much sadness. RIP Zoey.
Drugs are never ok. Taking drugs leads to doing stupid stuff.