Steve Chen is married to the only member of the family that is now living -- the daughter who discovered the bodies when she and their 12-year-old child went to the home the morning after the murders. He showed ABC7 the pictures of the victims, which were placed neatly in a row in a homemade altar in the dining room.
The five bodies were found early Friday morning on March 23. The violent and bloody carnage happened sometime the night before. The victims: Hua Shun Lei, a cook at a Chinatown restaurant, his wife Wan Yi Wu, their daughter Ying Xue Lei, their son Vincent Lei and his wife Chia Huei Chu. They were bludgeoned to death one by one.
Police forensics investigators have already removed evidence from the house, but the two-story home in the city's Ingleside District is pretty much the way it was that day after the murders, with blood stains covering the floors.
Several law enforcement agencies have given ABC7 a chronology of what happened that violent evening. They say the suspect, Binh Thai Luc, knew both Vincent Lei and his wife. Lei hired him as a plumber to help him renovate the house last year.
Sources say Vincent Lei's wife was the first to be killed. Her body was found in the two room unit on the first floor, where she and Vincent lived.
The killer then most likely murdered Vincent's parents. Their bodies were found in the garage.
The killer then went up the stairs and into their daughter Ying Xue Lei's bedroom. He then bludgeoned her to death.
Police say he waited for Vincent to come home. His body was found in the entryway near the front door.
Sources say before killing him, the murderer severed half of Lei's hand with they described as a "sharp edged weapon," perhaps while torturing him.
After it was over, the killer washed himself in the bathroom and then wiped bleach over light switches and door handles to remove fingerprints. The killer also poured bleach and paint on the floors and turned on the faucets to flood the rooms, again hoping to destroy evidence.
Chen and his wife are still trying to cope with the shock of losing their family. They do not understand why the suspect would do such a thing.
"They killed five people, what can I say, I just hope for justice, let the police handle that," Steve Chen said.
Police captured Luc two days after discovering the bodies. Sources say he used Lei's wife's cellphone to call him while he was out with friends. Sources say Lei could be overheard asking why he was calling from his wife's phone and why Luc was telling him to go home.
