Man stages a fake crime scene after shooting and killing his wife, Texas cops say
A man has been charged with murder after Texas authorities say he shot his wife in the face, then tried covering up her death.
The murder charge against Christopher Collins came Nov. 24, nearly a week after Yuan Liang, 46, was found dead inside their home in Cypress, just outside Houston.
At the time of Liang’s Nov. 18 death, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said they were dispatched for a welfare check when they found the woman’s body. Investigators said the circumstances that led to the death were unknown.
Collins, 41, initially told police his wife “reported a suspicious male near their residence” and that he lost contact with her, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Collins met an officer at his home, where he opened the door for the cop to make the discovery, KHOU reported.
“Collins paused momentarily in the doorway, dropped his bags and ran into the living room where Liang was found lying on the floor with visible blood on her shirt and a bag covering her head,” KHOU reported, citing court documents.
But prosecutors said Collins “went to great lengths” to make it appear as if Liang had been killed by a home intruder, KTRK reported.
As authorities searched the home, they found the couple had signed a life insurance policy for $250,000 two days before Liang was killed, according to KTRK.
Surveillance footage from the day of Liang’s death showed Collins was going in and out of a locker room at a local gym, according to court documents obtained by KPRC. Investigators later found items belonging to Liang, including her wallet, ID and passport, in a locker.
A gun Collins said belonged to his wife was discovered in the home and detectives found a single .22 caliber bullet inside his pants, according to KPRC. Liang was shot with a “small caliber handgun,” the TV station reported.
Jail records show Collins was booked into the Harris County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
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