After she tried ending their relationship, a Pennsylvania woman was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend who’d allegedly been stalking her and opened fire on her car while she was inside of it, according to authorities and her family.
Yujun Ren, 32, of Philadelphia, was arrested on Sunday, February 8 — the same day of the deadly shooting — on charges of criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime and stalking, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said in a statement.
Ren, who told investigators that he killed Yuan Yuan Lu by accident, turned himself in to law enforcement, according to authorities, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported.
The district attorney’s office said on February 8 that the “investigation revealed a chilling course of conduct.”
The night before her death, on Saturday, February 7, Lu “courageously reported a sexual assault to the Philadelphia Police Department” and “attempted to end the relationship” with Ren, according to the office.
The next morning, Ren stalked her car until he allegedly shot her to death, the district attorney’s office said.
Ren’s defense attorney, Todd Edward Henry, did not immediately return a request for comment from Us Weekly on Wednesday, February 11.
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Lu had tried to get help from police by making a police report related to her relationship with Ren, according to a GoFundMe page created by Natalie Truong, Lu’s cousin, in support of Lu’s family and her funeral expenses.
“Yuan Yuan had been in an abusive relationship and lived in constant fear for her life,” Truong wrote. “She only recently found the courage to open up to friends and family about what she was experiencing and went to the police seeking help.”
“Tragically, everything she feared came true, her ex-boyfriend continued to stalk her, and her life was taken within 12 hours of the police report,” the page continues.
Ren is accused of sexually assaulting Lu at his South Philadelphia home on February 7, according to police, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported.
During the early morning of February 8, he followed her car into Bristol Township and Levittown, police said, according to the outlet.
That same afternoon, Ren went to Bristol Township police to own up to the killing, according to WPVI, which cited the township’s police department.
According to police, he led officers to Lu’s body inside a car outside of a home in Levittown, where she was found fatally shot, WPVI reported.
“Today’s tragic event is a sobering reminder of the lethal nature of domestic violence,” Khan said in the statement on Ren’s arrest. “We are committed to seeking justice for the victim.”
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In an interview with WPVI, Truong said Lu first shared the details of her abusive relationship, which lasted for nearly a year, with her last week.
“All she wanted to do was leave. Just to leave him,” Truong told the TV station.
Following Ren’s arrest, his bail was denied, according to court records viewed by Us.
It was not immediately clear whether Ren had entered a plea.
He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on March 25, records show.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
