A San Dimas woman was sentenced Monday, Nov. 3, to 37 years to life in prison for killing her wife with a Japanese sword at their home in July 2024 and then trying to slay her mother-in-law.
Weichien Huang, 45, didn’t make a statement during her sentencing at Pomona Superior Court.
A jury convicted her on Oct. 28 of first-degree murder, attempted murder, corporal injury on a spouse and destroying or damaging a cellphone to prevent notifying police or to seek other help.
The last two counts happened on May 15, 2023 — a month before the killing — when Weichien Huang threw a cellphone at the face of her wife, Chen Chen Fei, 47, during an argument. She also broke the phone by throwing it the ground when Fei said she was going to call 911.
Fei’s mother, Hsi Wei Huang, called the court on Monday from Taiwan, speaking through a Mandarin interpreter.
“I don’t understand what kind of hate will lead her to kill like that,” Hsi Wei Huang said of her daughter-in-law.
“She was using the sword trying to suck as much blood from people like a vampire,” Hsi Wei Huang said. “She was enjoying (seeing) the blood coming out. There was no regret at all, acting like a vampire.
“Trying to kill us all. She doesn’t show any regret at all.”
On July 18, 2024, the couple was at home in the 300 block of South Huntington Avenue when they argued about divorce papers and Weichien Huang stabbed Fei 13 times with the sword, a katana. Fei’s screaming woke up her mother who found her daughter lying face down in a pool of blood.
Weichien Huang now had to deal with a witness — and swung the sword several times at her 73-year-old mother-in-law, Deputy District Attorney Brittany Saleeby said during closing arguments. Hsi Wei Huang managed to grab the blade with her hands as Weichien Huang was swinging it toward her neck and ran out of the house to seek help.
The Sheriff’s Department received a call around 3:20 p.m. about a woman outside the home with cuts on her leg and bleeding. Deputies spotted the injured Hsi Wei Huang carrying the sword. She dropped the katana and directed them to her daughter’s house.
Deputies found Fei’s body and saw Weichien Huang lying on a bed.
After killing Fei and attacking her mother-in-law, Weichien Huang tried to kill herself, the prosecutor said.
