Openings to begin for man accused of stabbing Auburn couple in front of kids
AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) – Opening statements slated to begin Monday morning in the alleged October 2020 stabbing deaths of an Auburn couple in front of their two young children. 21-year-old Zhuobin Wang is facing Capital Murder charges. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
Auburn investigators say the husband died the night of the attack from nearly 20 stab wounds. The wife, who initially survived 60 stab wounds, passed away on February 13, 2021, at East Alabama Medical Center
During the preliminary hearing for 21-year-old Zhuobin Wang, prosecutors played the 911 call Wang is suspected of making shortly after the attack. Wang is heard on the call explaining taking an Uber to the Monroe Drive home of 40-year-old Dr. Lijun Xuan and his wife, 41-year-old ZhengZheng Wu, and stabbing them in October. On the call, Wang describes using two knives he typically used to cut food and then placing the knives in a trash can outside the home after the stabbings. Dr. Xuan died that night. His wife initially survived the attack and told the police what happened.
"She observed Mr. Wang entering the residence, stabbing her husband in the back near the piano. She attempted to intervene, and he started stabbing her," testified Levi Donnely with the Auburn Police Detectives Division.
Wu passed away on February 13, 2021. According to her obituary, Wu died battling a collapsed trachea at EAMC's Intensive Care Unit.
District Attorney Jessica Ventiere has told News 3 that the Department of Human Resources is caring for the couple's two children and ensuring their needs are met.
Testimony indicates Wang felt his reputation was hurt in a disagreement with the couple. Investigators say Wang lived with the couple while studying at Auburn University. Wang told the 911 dispatcher the couple had threatened him and his family. Wang says the argument was impacting his grades and reputation. Wang's defense attorney suggested he snapped. Wang was arrested on the scene.
Wang has been behind bars at the Lee County Detention Facility on no bond since his arrest four years ago.
