ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — An Altamonte Springs man is headed to prison for killing his wife.
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Now 23-year-old Xichen Yang had been charged with first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence for the 2022 murder of his wife, Nhu Quynh Pham.
Altamonte Springs police officers went to the couple’s apartment on Ballard Street on the morning of July 21, 2022 for a “well-being check” and arrived to find Pham already dead.
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Yang wasn’t there when police arrived, but they quickly identified him as a person of interest in the case and took him into custody for questioning.
During the interview, police say Yang admitted to killing Pham with a knife and attempting to clean up the crime scene before fleeing.
According to court documents, Yang told at least one person he was upset with his wife because she burned his passport.
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During his interview, Yang claimed he stabbed his wife, then placed her in their bath tub, played her favorite music, and held her hand until she died.
Instead of calling the police, investigators say Yang began to clean up the blood on the walls and floor.
According his arrest report, Yang told investigators he could have stopped short of killing his wife, but when asked why he didn’t, Yang replied that was “not how he was raised” and that he is the type of person who always goes “all the way.”
During a court hearing in Seminole County Monday, Yang again confessed to committing the crime and entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
After pleading guilty, yang addressed the court with a prepared statement.
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“I would like to thank the court for this opportunity to express my deep sorrow,” Yang said. “I will not make any excuses for my actions on July 21st, 2022.”
Yang also addressed his mother, who was in the back of the courtroom.
“She did her best raising her son,” Yang said. “No one could’ve predicted this.”
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