Rowland Heights: August 2007 Archives

Since putting together a follow up story on the stabbing death of Chris Boo K. Lee, I have received several emails and phone calls from friends and family of Lee's who want to share their memories of Lee.
Here's a sampling from one letter sent Wednesday evening: (I'm keeping the writer anonymous and have edited this slightly)

Hello Frank, regarding your article today about Chris, it is good to know that your doing your job and made those names public. It is unfortunate to hear that the gangmembers that were arrested ... were released for a reason I do not know yet. I am a very close friend of Chris and I can personally tell you that Chris was not a gangmember. ... The last 7 years i have known him he has always been a good student, helpful to his family, and a very loyal friend.

yeah paul used to be my best friend till he became stupid

This came from Jan Williams, the mother of Neal and grandmother of Devon and Ian. The three were found dead Aug. 8 inside their Rowland Heights apartment.
Neal Williams' wife, Man-Ling (aka Manling), is facing capital murder charges in connection with the case. She is set to be arraigned Friday morning in West Covina.
Here's what Jan Williams wrote this a.m.:

A memorial service for all three of my handsome boys was held at the SkyRose chapel in Rose Hills on Thursday morning, August 23. The outpouring of support from the community has been deeply appreciated. If we have tried to mourn this terrible blow in private, I'm sure your readers can understand our feelings. I have lost 3 of people who made my life worth living. The Tsang family has also suffered a horrible loss. It is uncomfortable to wear a broken heart on your sleeve for all the world to see. The wound is raw -please let us heal a while in private. JW

Arraignment is scheduled Friday for Man-ling (Manling) Tsang Williams, who is charged with capital murder for the slayings of her husband and the couple’s two young sons at the family’s Rowland Heights home. We haven't heard much about this case since her original arraignment was postponed.
Neal Williams' family has been very reluctant to discuss the case and were very private about any funeral. We do know that both families participated in a service of some sort at Rose Hills last week.

Some random loose ends:
A coroner's spokesman Wednesday told reporter Ruby Gonzales that Neal Williams died from "sharp force injuries" which would idicate he was stabbed more than once. I saw a comment on an Internet news group from a person identifying herself as a neighbor who claimed Neal was stabbed 40 times.
The children's bodies have been released to Rose Hills Mortuary as of Wedensday and now the coroner is saying an actual cause fo death determination has been delayed. Any number of things could be read into that including the possibility they were poisoned. (No one has said that)...

There is no date set to hold a funeral for Neal, Devon and Ian Williams, friends of the family told me today. That said, there is news of a scholarship set up in all three names at Whittier College. I'll post details later.
The family friend also told me that whatever funeral is held, it will be private.

After using a variety of combinations to do some Google searches in the Man-ling (Manling) Williams case, I came across some stories in Chinese that might be of interest.
The first is a straight news story, recaping some of what the neighbors said, and adding some description about the actual crime scene.
The second is more like a feature story from a Chinese perspective on the hazards of mixed marriages.
The links are via Google's translation service, and I can't vouch for the accuracy....

I received an email today from a friend of Man-ling (Manling) Williams, who noted the tragedy that befell Neal, Devon and ian Williams extends well beyond immediate family.
Here's the beginning of the well-written and thoughtful letter:

I don't think Man-Ling's friends who were present at the hearing were ignoring you out of malice. I believe it is out of necessity. What could they possibly say? There is no way to justify this. There is no way to explain it away. The pain...

MyDeathSpace has posted entries in the Man-ling(manling) Williams case.
Following the links to both Neal's and Man-ling's sites though I noticed both had been taken down. Too bad.

Local photog Ron Fu has posted some interesting photos he took outside the home of Man-ling and Neal Williams in Rowland Heights.
Man-ling (or Manling) is accused of stabbing her husband with a sword and suffocating her two children with a pillow.
Fu sent me this pic attached to this post for use with the blog. It's Ok, but the stuff he put on Flickr is better.

Several friends of Man-ling Williams are commenting on various blog entries here, and they want people to know that Williams, who is accused of killing her two sons and her husband last Wednesday in Rowland Heights, is not a bad person in their eyes.
A quick comment on the comments, notice Man-ling's friends use a hyphen in the spelling of her name. Although it seems like everyone else writing about this story has adopted the one word spelling of her name, I'm sticking with the hyphen until further notice.
Interestingly enough many of Man-ling's friends were at her court appearance Friday and instead of approaching us to give another version of the events, they mad-dogged me in court and turned their backs on reporters outside of court.
Here's some comments ...

A Deputy Public defender let slip in court Friday that Man-ling WIlliams, accused of stabbing her husband with a sword and smothering her children to death with a pillow, allegedly confessed to the crimes.
We've got a story online now to that effect.
Man-ling was allowed to change from the jailhouse issue jumpsuit into a shirt and pants, in anticipation of being photographed.
She appeared pretty emotionless to me, although photog Leo Jarazomb said she appeared distressed and stressed to him. Man-ling Williams spoke in a barly audible monotone, and actually had to go through two hearings, because a court reporter was absent for the first.
Judge Abe Khan ...

The DA's office put out their first press release in the WIlliams murder case. They are charging Man-ling (Manling) Williams with capital murder in the deaths of her husband and two sons, officials said.
The complaint alleges Neal Williams was stabbed to death with a sword and the boys smothered with a pillow.
They are also saying she was lying in wait to kill the boys and committed multiple murder -- all capital crimes that could be punished by death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Arraignment is at 1:30 and I'm headed there now.

First question of the day. How does she spell it? The woman accused of stabbing her husband and murdering her children in Rowland Heights the other day might spell her name Man-Ling (as we do) or Manling( as the Sheriff's Department does) I'm going to settle this once and for all today.
Speaking of spelling. Tim Traeger, new city editor at the Whitter Daily News points out that in our story today we made a slight error

One thing. It's MARIE CALENDER'S, not Calendar's, fyi.

This was posted on Neal Williams' MySpace this a.m. it purports to be a picture of Williams and wife Man-Ling.
The wife is currently booked on felony charges at the Lynwood jail, according to the LASD's inmate locator.

Manling Williams has been booked into the Lynwood jail. The same county jail where Paris Hilton spent her time earlier this summer. The booking sheet indicates it was a felony booking, but little else.
Williams is the mom of two kids who were found dead in their beds. Her husband, Neal WIlliams, 27, had been stabbed to death in the same home, according to witnesses and officials.
Manling apparently told several stories about how she had left the home early in the morning. Neighbors said she told them she couldn't sleep and took a drive around the neighborhood. Cops said she told them she was grocery shopping. ...

Lots of details emerging late in this case. The victims have now been identified as Neal Williams, 27; Devon Williams, 7, and Ian Williams, 3.
Williams wife, Man-ling, is still being questioned by deputies and is now basically a person of interest.
Here's a link to what we think is Neal's MySpace. You'll see Man-ling in his list of friends.
WE may have video of man-ling in a patrol car taken shortly after she reported the murders. That's at SGVN.

It appears that what was originally reported as a stabbing (assault with a deadly weapon) early Wednesday, has turned into a triple homicide in Rowland Heights.
This is what we know. Three people, a man and two small children, are dead. The man was apparently stabbed to death. Authorities aren't saying how the children died. Neighbors near the crime scene just south of Fullerton Road and Colima Road said the children were suffocated or strangled.
A woman, the children's mother and wife of the dead man, is undergoing questioning at the Walnut Sheriff's substation.
The woman told police...

There are reports this morning about another stabbing in Rowland Heights. Right now most of what we have is from the police scanner and a neighbor who called. Details are sketchy, so we're headed to the scene to get the skinny. We'll update this one later in the day.