Elderly man allegedly kills wife with hatchet

PASADENA -- A man allegedly stabbed his wife to death with a hatchet early Sunday, then called authorities to report it, officials said.
James Lu, 85, was booked on suspicion of murder, said Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, which is investigating the case.
Los Angeles County coroner's officials identified the dead woman as 55-year-old Michelle Lu.
The incident was reported about 1:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Rosemead Boulevard, in an unincorporated county area near Pasadena.
"(James Lu) called the (sheriff's) Temple Station indicating he had injured his wife," Rosenberg said. "They responded and found her deceased inside their home."
James Lu surrendered himself to deputies, and the hatchet was recovered, Rosenberg said.
A specific motive in the slaying was not clear Sunday, but authorities said it was a domestic issue.
Rosenberg added that detectives do not believe James Lu was acting out of dementia or confusion, and he did not appear to have a history of violence.
"We think he knew what he was doing," he said. "It's a pretty sad situation for everyone."
News reports indicated the couple's son may have been home when the slaying occurred, and may have grabbed the hatchet from his father. Rosenberg said he could not confirm those details.
No one appeared to be home Sunday afternoon at the Lu residence -- a single-story home that sits behind a psychic reader business.
Claudia Loera, 12, who lives nearby translated for family members, who remembered James Lu as a kind person.
Loera said her parents knew James Lu for about 30 years, and were shocked to learn of the killing, and the alleged confessed.
"Everyone's surprised ... Everybody he used to pass, he used to say 'Hi,'" she said.
According to court records, James Lu was being held without bail and is due for arraignment in Humbler Superior Court on Tuesday.