Top AI Scientist "Gone Mad" and Executes His Nephew In Front Of Courthouse
Bada bing, bada boom. >> One prominent UFO researcher once said, "If you start looking for patterns, you're going to find them." And people. think one of the worst patterns to. emerge in 2026 is the pattern of. important scientist going missing or. ending up dead. Is it a fear-mongering. conspiracy where netizens are connecting. together a few dots and calling it a. link, or is it a real legitimate theory? I mean, I can't be the one to tell you. However, it does seem that.
or researcher studying something. important to the greater safety of. humankind or the detriment of humankind, anyone, scientist, researcher involved. in some sort of death, it's going to be investigated by some. curious netizens. So, Chen, a Chinese researcher based in. the United States, he has the exact type. of resume where if something happens to. him, it makes you want to throw. coincidence out the window and sign up. for like a front row seat at Conspiracy. [music]. Con. Chen has a research role at Cassia,
which is basically China's flagship AI. research institution right now. Although. they were first formed, I will say, to. help China build nuclear missiles and. satellites, their first program was. actually called two bombs, one. satellite, which is like. >> Two bomb? >> Yeah, two bombs, one satellite. Yeah. >> What's that? Okay. >> And Cassia's signature specialty is. actually biometrics, which is how they. teach computers how to identify humans. by face, by their iris, and even their.
gait, how they walk. They have this like. whole thing where they could identify. you. They don't even know you. They. don't know what your face looks like, but they could identify you from like a. mile away on CCTV footage if they like. follow certain gait patterns. >> Yeah. They have a free data set of. people's faces that have become one of. the most widely used training set in the. entire world for facial recognition. He. was a post-doctoral researcher in the. bioinformatics division at Tsinghua. University. What does that even mean?
What is bioinformatics? It sounds kind. of like cute, but it's not cute at all. It's a very interesting role. It's not. just data, it's not just AI machine. learning. You have to specialize in all. of that, but you also have to specialize. in molecular and cell biology. Researchers in the bioinformatics. division at Tsinghua are working on. projects like the human cell atlas, which is actually a giant international. project, like a global initiative. It's. to catalog every cell type, describe its. molecular fingerprint, if you will, and.
notate where it lives and what it does. [music]. Basically, Google Maps for the human. body, which the human body is made up of. roughly 37 trillion cells. So, this is. going to take a minute. The goal would. be to give every biologist like a shared. reference. So, if they find a weird cell. in their own experiment, they can look. it up against the master map. It'll also. make it easier to find out which cells. changed how, you know, which could help. find cell signatures that flag early. cancer before it's dangerous. But, if.
you're not working on the single cell. atlas, they could be in any number of. different AI and biology research. programs. The whole idea is LLM, large. language models, so ChatGPT, Cloud, but. instead of being trained on human. language, they're going to be trained on. the human body. Biology like a language, create a. foundational model, a cloud for cells, ChatGPT for cells. They train on cells. and patterns of which genes turn on. together in which cell types under which.
conditions. The ultimate goal, they. said, is to have a digital patient. So, everybody has a patient profile, and now. they have one for AI, and you run. experiments and medications through the. digital patient before the real patient, which sounds like it could also save. lives, but also sounds really. terrifying at the same time, okay? But, after those research positions in China, Chen gets invited to come to the United. States. He doesn't try to immigrate, he. gets an invitation.
It's like a Hogwarts invitation in the. mail for a research role for Cold Spring. Harbor Laboratory, which has been dubbed. the birthplace of molecular biology. So, there is that. They've been around since. like 1890. They're a world-renowned. nonprofit private research and education. institution. The lab today focuses on. five distinct areas: cancer, neuroscience, genomics, plant biology, and quantitative biology. They do a lot. of important work, but also they were. the epicenter for the American eugenics. movement at one point.
The lab did preserve all its records for. teaching and research while openly. discussing it. So, I guess they're. trying to be transparent about one of. the darkest chapters of American history. and science, but I mean, who's to say, right? Chen gets an invitation from that. lab, the Cold Spring Harbor Lab, to come. study in the US, do research for them. He moves to Long Island, New York. His. research direction is. is so complicated. He's focusing on. providing systematic solutions for early. diagnosis and precision treatment in. cancer research using bioinformatics.
technologies. Yeah, it's a very important role. He. also joins Harvard as a research. scientist in the Department of. Statistics. Throughout his entire. career, he has published, co-authored at. least 15 papers in notable peer-reviewed. international journals in subjects like. cancer. Basically, like trying to cure. cancer. He starts his own company in. China called My Health Gene. The company. uses huge amounts of biological data, DNA, genes. They analyze to help doctors. catch diseases early on and pick. treatments tailored to each individual.
patient. So, he's got the type of resume. where if he's involved in a death, people are going to start a conspiracy. theory online. April 7th, 2022, outside. the Cambridge District Courthouse in. Medford, Massachusetts. It's It's a. small courthouse with three courtrooms. There's two jury deliberation rooms. It's 12 holding cells. It's not like a. big giant fortress building like a lot. of federal courthouses. You get a free. parking lot. There's restaurants right. next to it. You go pay your ticket and. then you go eat, I don't know,
Bojangles, okay? That's the vibe. Researcher Chen is walking towards his. car, a white Chevy Equinox, it's like an. SUV. And as he's walking, getting ready. to get into the driver seat, I don't. know if he does, but he must, right? He. must sense something. [music] Like. something must shift in that exact. moment. It is believed that as he's. getting into his car, he locks eyes with. this young man who also just stepped out. of the courthouse. And there must be. something that happens between the two. of them. Nobody hears any sort of. exchange. Nobody hears them talking, at.
least I haven't reported it, but. something must happen. Some reports. describe it as they share a look. Whatever it is, it's like something. activates inside [music] of Researcher. Chen. He gets in the car, turns the. engine on, and [music] before anyone. else can react, he slams the foot down. on the accelerator. He's not booking it. to leave the courthouse. He's. accelerating [music] and ramming. straight into the young man who just. walked out of the courthouse that he. just locked eyes with. He's not honking. for the young man to get out of his way. This is not like a road rage incident.
either. Chen, the brilliant researcher, drives directly into this young man. He. basically has him trapped. So, this. young man is now trapped in between the. Chevy Equinox, Chen's [music] car, and. another parked car. He's trapped. Chen reverses, rams it. back into him until the front [music] of. Chen's SUV is completely dented like the. surface of the moon. And then Chen steps. out of his car, >> slamming into the young man and another. car. >> Yeah. But mainly the young man. Then he steps out with a black handgun.
and [music] fires into the young man. five to six times. This is a courthouse. Where the hell are the cops? Why isn't. anybody stopping Chen? >> Responding to 4040 Mystic Valley Parkway. in the rear of the courthouse. Shots. fired. Man down. >> Police officers are circling him within. seconds. You know, they're pointing. their own weapons while ordering him to. drop his. But, it's not the police that. stopped Chen. It's [music] very. interesting. It's a tall man in a suit. walks up. He approaches Chen, restrains. him almost calmly. Like, he's just. pinning Chen on the ground. He uses his.
knee. So, Chen is face down. And this man in the suit has his knee on. Chen's back. [music]. And then using one of his hands, he's. kind of rubbing Chen's back, almost. soothing him. >> Okay. >> And then finally, the police come over, handcuff Chen. Who the hell is this man. in the suit? This is Chen's attorney, who was just. representing Chen in the courtroom. Chen, the brilliant researcher, is now. being arrested. And the young man laying. dead in the parking lot of the. courthouse is Huang, otherwise known as.
Cohen. He's 23 years old. And he's Chen's. nephew. But, would this scientist kill. his [music] own nephew, his sister's own. son? It doesn't make any sense. Well, it. is believed that Cohen wanted a wife. He. wanted a woman to marry. >> [music]. >> But like, what does that have to do with. Chen? It is reported that Cohen didn't just. want anyone to marry. [music]. He wanted to marry scientist Chen's. wife. His aunt. [music].
>> [music]. [music]. >> We would like to thank today's sponsors. who have made it possible for Rotten. Mango to support NAMI National, also. known as the National Alliance on Mental. Illness. NAMI is the nation's largest. mental health organization dedicated to.
improving the lives of individuals. This. episode's partnerships have also made it. possible to support Rotten Mango's team. of dedicated researchers. We'd also like. to thank you guys for your continued. support. As always, full show notes are. available at rottenmangopodcast.com. Today's episode includes brief mentions. of stalking behaviors, gun violence. Some quotes or statements may be. condensed for brevity, and a lot of the. research, even though this case does. take place in the United States, a lot. of the research was done with the help. of our Chinese translators because. there's just a lot more information in. China. You'll see why in a second. But.
with that being said, let's begin. The setup for Chen. She's not ideal. It's not ideal. He has. his wife, Michelle. Michelle is a. pseudonym. Her name is It's not widely. circulating, so we're going to keep it. Michelle. She has two young kids, and. Chen is barely home. Now, to be fair, >> How old is Chen and Michelle, though? >> They're like in their late 30s by this. point, early 40s, and. >> Yeah. How old are their two young. >> Elementary school. And Chen is like. barely home. He's never home. He's not.
doing school pick-up and drop-off. And. to be fair, he is the sole breadwinner, and his most lucrative business appears. to be the one in China, where he has the. biotech company. He has all these. research roles in the United States, but. you're not getting paid a bajillion. dollars to be in the Department of. Statistics at Harvard, but you probably. will get paid a bajillion dollars to own. a private company in China that helps. cure people of certain diseases. >> or. >> Yeah. Half time in China, half time in. Boston. And it's doing really well. He's. even being invited to speak as the guest.
at the Tsinghua Beijing Tianjin Hebei. Healthcare Big Data Summit forum. The amount of ink that they would need. to just like have a letterheads with. that entire It's unclear exactly how his. time is divvied up, but I would say it's. like closer to 50/50. But it has been. established that Michelle, Chen's wife, she is adamant that she wants her. children raised in the United [music]. States. So it's not like Chen leaves her. without a choice. It's not like Chen is. like, "Well, you have to stay here. I'm. going to go." In fact, if Chen had it.
his [music] way, they would all move. back to China. Because not only does he. have his company, he's been offered. really crazy prestigious roles in. research and things that would give him. a lot of funding to do, I guess, his. life's dreams and goals, whatever that. may be. It has been said that the longer. this back and forth goes on, Chen senses. some tension with his wife, Michelle, because [music] every time he comes back. to Boston, she does seem a little bit. distracted. She does seem a little bit. distant, [music] but that could also be. because she's just freaking exhausted. She's holding the house down by herself.
She just might be a wash with dilemmas. and deficiencies, you know? However, it. is noted that Michelle is the one that. also wanted him to go to China to start. this lucrative business. And she did not want to go with him. So, technically, it is a compromise. Chen. does make it back to the family to spend. all the big holidays. So, he's back for. Christmas, he's back for Chinese New. Year, and sometimes he likes to keep it. fresh. He wants to surprise his kids. In. 2019, after finishing up this huge. project with his company in China, Chen. decides, "I got to go.
>> [laughter]. >> Sure, I was going to stay in China for. an extra 3 days to wrap up the project, but it's already wrapped, so I can go. home 3 days earlier than I expected. The. name of the game is surprise. I'm going. to go surprise my wife and kids." He. quietly boards a flight home, gets to. the airport, drives back home in Boston, and when he slips his key into the front. door, all's quiet. Everything's good. He. walks up the steps, opens the door to. the primary bedroom, >> [music]. >> and there in his bed is his wife, his. 39-year-old wife, Michelle, and his 19-year-old nephew. And that is.
how Chen finds out that the last year of. his life has been a lie, okay? Well, over a year, like a year and a half. because the nephew's almost turning 20, but. in his house, it's his wife and nephew. They've been having an affair in his. house. Not only is he betrayed by his. wife, he's also betrayed by his nephew. It's not just his marriage that blows up. that night, it's his entire extended. family. Now, this is not incestual in. the sense that the nephew is Chen's. sister's son. So, his wife has no.
>> blood. >> blood relation to the nephew. So, I. guess that's the only silver lining is. this is not an incestuous affair, but I. I I. I mean, that's like a really low bar to. set. It's his wife, and it's his. sister's little brother at the end of. the day. To Chen, it probably feels like. a multi-faceted attack on his psyche. On. top of that, affairs are always very. tricky when it's happening inside the. shared marital home because that's. supposed to be your safe space. Moreover, moreover, Chen is the one that. invited his nephew to come live with.
them out of the goodness of his heart so. that his nephew could go to college in. the United States. >> Oh my god. >> So, in 2016, back in 2016, Chen gets a. call from his older sister, and [music]. she's telling him that her one and only. son, Cohen, the only nephew that Chen. has cuz he only has one older sister, and this is the only son that she has. He's ready to go to college now, but the. problem is he wants to study abroad in. the US. But, the problem with that is. that his English is not good enough to. yet apply to most of the colleges that. he wants to attend. So, probably the. fastest way to learn English would be.
going to the United States, taking a gap. year, immersing himself in the culture. and the language, and going to like a. English program. Would Chen mind if. Cohen could come stay with him in Boston. for a year to learn English? Just. provide housing and food, and we're. going to set a little money for. transportation. Like, the setup is a lot. of Asians have probably experienced the. setup, okay? And then he gets to. college, we'll go from there. That's it. Just like a year really is what we're. asking. We're not even asking you to put. him through high school. It's just a. year, and then he's going to dorm in.
college. That's the plan. Cohen joins. the Chen family in Boston. Michelle. doesn't like this. She is not happy. She. She's got two kids. Now she has to watch. this random ass teenager, okay? Not. blood relation. She's never even really. met the kid like that. And now she has. to watch him. In fact, this is a huge. point of contention for them early on. Michelle is arguing like, "I don't even. want him to be here. First of all, why. are you even saying yes if you're not. even here to help take care of him? You're going to be in China most of the. time. So, it's it doesn't make sense.
Now, she's doing chores, cooking, cleaning, managing the entire household. with some teenager she barely knows. adding on to all of it. But, Chen. convinces his wife his older sister is. the only reason that he was able to go. to college. She paid most of his. tuition, and this is her son, so he owes. it to his sister. Also, Chen's been with. Michelle since. >> [music]. >> college, so she kind of knows, so she's. like, "Okay, you know what? Fine.". Chen leaves for China, and at first he's. very worried that every time he calls. Michelle, he's just going to be. screaming on the other line. She's going.
to be like complaining about how. miserable she is and how this is so. unmanageable and, you know, now there's. this stinky, probably smelly, unhygienic. teenager living in their house, and she. just wants to like punch someone in the. face. But, no, every time Chen would. call, she would tell him, "Cohen is. helping around the house, doing chores. He seems really grateful that he has. this opportunity, so he's trying to do. his part. He's actually a very mature. young man." The part nobody knows, however, is who initiated the affair. Not that I think it's Well, maybe it is.
kind of pertinent, but it's believed by. some that Michelle has blamed Cohen for. seducing her, and Cohen blames Michelle. for seducing him. And they're both. selling their sides of the story to Chen. when he finds them in bed together. We. don't know who did what. However, the. likely starting point [music] of this. affair seems to be from English tutoring. lessons. So, remember Cohen is trying to. learn English. He went to this English. academy to learn, and he ends up failing. his very first English exam that he. worked a year to study for. So, the.
whole point of the agreement was he's. going to come to America to learn. English, get admitted into an American. college. If he can't learn English, he. can't get admitted into an American. college, and then all of this would have. been for nothing. So, Michelle takes it. upon herself, has been what's been. reported, [music]. and she decides that I'm just going to. tutor him in my free time. Like when the. kids are at school, I'm just going to. like try to help him with his English. It works. He passes all of his exams, >> [music]. >> successfully gets admitted into. Northeastern University in Boston for. computer science, which is obviously not. the only thing that he gets into while.
he's in the United States. The affair. goes on for almost 2 years. So it does. seem that he was of age when it started. So there's no allegation that he was not. of age. It seems like he was about to. turn 20 when the affair was caught. So. it's like almost 2 years. >> Yeah. And even after getting into. Northeastern and moving into a dorm, moving out of Chen and Michelle's house, >> [music]. >> they allegedly continue the affair. So. he's just dropping by, playing daddy. Yeah, the only person in the dark of. what's happening in his house is Chen,
the one who's working nonstop in China. earning money to support his wife and. children, and now his nephew. is in his house playing house. >> Well, that's really too for the two kids. though. >> Yeah. >> live there. >> Yeah. That night after kicking Kohauan. out, Chen can't even sleep in the same. house. He goes to a hotel and he decides. he's going to divorce his wife. There's. nothing else that he can do about it. It's not something that he's going to. get over and the whole process of. divorcing his wife goes as amicably as. one would hope a divorce goes. He does.
have to go back to China frequently. still after the divorce. It's believed. that his wife and children end up. staying in the Boston house. >> [music]. >> Chen is not lashing out on them. He's. not trying to take every penny with him. that he earned and rob Michelle out of a. life and home. There's no violent. tendencies. There's no really even. strong resentment. It seems like he just. cuts her out but still co-parents. Some allege that once the emotions. settle down a bit, Chen has a. conversation with Kohauan about it,
which [music] I can't imagine any sort. of conversation like this going well, but allegedly it ends with Kohauan. telling his uncle, "I will stop. harassing you guys. as long as you let me marry my aunt.". >> What? >> The worst part about this is Chen's. sister, so Cohen's mom. >> W- What is that? >> Yeah. No, there's a reason behind it, and it's actually kind of like weird and. dark, but you'll see. And the worst part. though is that not only Chen is like, "What do you What do you mean? Like, what Why would you marry my wife? You. know, well, ex-wife now, right?".
His sister agrees with him. His sister. is like, "You need to let my son marry. your ex-wife because you guys are. divorced anyway.". >> I cannot believe this. >> Outside of the Harry Potter series, a. lot of people in China are referred to. as Voldemorts. Say Voldemort the way. that you do in China. >> Fùdìmo. >> Yes. Okay. Actually has nothing to do. with the source material. It's not a. nickname for those caught gossiping with. snakes or like bald men with uniquely. shaped noses that streamline the process. of breathing. Like, it's not for those. people.
It has nothing to do with that. It's. rather the phonetic pronunciation of the. word Voldemort. In Chinese, it's. >> Fùdìmo. >> Which if you switch the characters, it. can also be read as monstrous brother. supporter. >> Okay. Okay. That's a really unique way. >> it's like an oddly complicated nickname, but like once you get the nuance, it all. clicks. There's a few prerequisites that. must be met for someone to fully [music]. live up to the nickname. You must be a. sister. You must have a brother. It is. better if the biological brother is.
younger than you. Preferably like a few. age gap is, you know, the sweet spot. [music] And the most important aspect is. your family must not have enough. resources for every child. That is when. someone could become Voldemort. It is to. describe families with a strong. patriarchal mindset that prefers sons. over their daughters, which results in. the family resources being directed only. to the sons. There have been countless. situations where the older sister. forgoes college, not because she can't. get admitted, she's already been.
admitted, but because the family can. only afford one tuition, and it's going. to go to the brother. The daughter has to stay behind, drop. out of school early so she can focus on. helping the struggling family business. while the son, who's not nearly as. bright as the daughter, because of. course he's not, he's been spoiled his. entire life cuz they live in a. patriarchal society in those specific. families in China, gets to go live in a. big city attending college while. everyone back home is supporting him. The nickname Voldemort is not to shame. the sisters that this happens to. It's. more so like a description of them.
getting their souls and dreams sucked. out of them slowly by their families. The shame is placed on the parents and. obviously society, but the sisters are. called Voldemorts because phonetically. it, you know, can mean [music] that. It's like kind of used sympathetically. So, if you look at a girl who's given up. everything for her brother, you might. say like, "Oh, well, she hasn't had the. best shot at life cuz she's a. Voldemort.". It's more like it's not really her. choice. She could have done way better. It's just this is what happened. If. anyone has the rights to this god awful. nickname, it's probably Chen's older.
sister. She's basically like grandfathered into. this. It's a miserable unlucky position. to be in. Chen's family are from a. really, really small town. They've got. two kids. So, they have Chen's older. sister and Chen. [music]. They're only 3 years apart, which makes. this even worse. Usually when the son is. older, the parents come up with a bunch. of palatable [music] excuses like, "Oh, well, he's going to go to college first. because he just got in and we're going. to save a lot of money for the next few. years so you can maybe go to college. Probably not." But when they're younger.
than you, it's like, "Well, no, you can't cuz we're saving the money. for your little brother." Chen's family. are day laborers mainly doing farm work. Chen and his sister were also expected. to help with, but they noticed that Chen. would try to sneak away from work to. read in a corner when he was a kid. Everybody noticed. Nobody got mad at. him. They thought that this might be the. start of a child who could get them out. of this situation. Somehow both the. siblings were blessed academically. Chen's older sister ends up getting. admitted into a key point high school, which key point high schools in China. notoriously difficult to get into.
Essentially, it's a pre-college. admissions program. And just to give you. a bunch of context, in the '70s and. '80s, China did not have enough. educational resources, but they wanted. to compete with the rest of the world. How do you compete if you don't have. elite talent pipelines? It's hard. The. government decides they're going to. concentrate a lot of their very limited. educational resources into a small. number of designated schools across the. country, and they're going to skim from. the top of every class. So, this is why. you have a pre You have a high school.
entrance exam. That's why. Because like. in America, that doesn't make sense cuz. it's like, "Wait, what do you mean? You. go either private or public, and public. is based off your zip code." Which. there's already a lot of inequality. there. But, in China, now you have to. take a test to get into the high school, and the high schools are ranked. So, they take skim the top of everyone in. the country and throw them into the key. point high schools. And that's to. elevate them to become the elite talent. pipeline. They still have to study. really hard to get admitted into the.
colleges, because now you're competing. against everyone at all the other key. point high schools in the country. The. government actually renamed it to model. high school, because key point high. school seemed a little rough on the. ears, politically speaking. So, they. renamed it recently, but it seems like. no one really calls it that. >> That's interesting. >> Yeah. >> They renamed it. I didn't know that. >> Chen's sister places really well in the. high school admissions test. She gets. admitted into one of the province's key. point high schools. This is huge, especially for students with lower. income families that don't have a bunch.
of tutors. It's like nearly impossible. But because of the [music] key point. high school she gets into, it's a. boarding school. >> Cost money? >> Yeah. She has to board. They don't have. They don't have the fee for boarding and. transportation to and from the school. Also, like the food she has to eat, like. everything is going to add up. The. family could maybe do it, but then they. would have nothing in 3 years when Chen. takes his high school admissions exam. And they also think he's going to get. into a key point high school. So, the. family, it is said that they told the. older sister, "You do what you want to.
do and we're going to support any. decision." But, she knows She knows what. that means, okay? Everyone knows what. that means. She doesn't go to high school. Yeah. She drops out after middle school, gets. into odd jobs, working on farms, restaurants, factory work. And then, 3. years later, it's Chen's turn. [music]. He does get into a key point high school. and. it is funded a lot of the boarding costs. are funded by his parents [music] and. his sister. And then, with college, it's. also funded by his sister and his.
parents. It would be justified if Chen's sister. showed a lot of resentment for all of. this, but she never does. And maybe she. genuinely never felt it because it is. reported that Chen showed a lot of. gratitude. [music] He was always showing. how appreciative he is towards his. sister, so maybe that eased any. potential resentment or tension. She. worked, put him through university. He. ends up at NPU, which It's like a. military industrial university. There's. a total of seven universities that are. called Seven Sons of National Defense in. China, mainly because those seven.
universities So, all the other. universities, they report to the. Ministry of Education. But, NPU and the. other six universities, they report to. the Ministry of Industry and Information. Technology. >> Really? >> Yeah. >> And they're very good? >> Yeah, they're very good because but a. lot of their major focus. is like. >> Like military. >> Military defense. Lots of like aerial. sciences, lots of um.
weapons. >> Yeah, yeah. >> research. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> [music]. >> Which he could only attend this school. with his parents and his sister helping. for the tuition. He doesn't take it. lightly. He said It's said during the. first 4 years, Chen [music]. holds himself to such high standards. that he only did four things. Eat, sleep, walk to and from his room to the. library, and to class and study. That's. it. Eat, sleep, [music] transport, and. school. That's it. Nothing else. Basically, everything was just keeping. him alive and everything was just. studying. He consistently ranked in the.
top of his class in the university to. the point where most students have to. apply and take another test to attend. grad school, but Chen was admitted. offered a spot without taking a test. He. didn't even need to apply. Which again, he wouldn't be if he was working and. studying, but he's just studying and he. feels like a lot of this is due to his. sister. And grad school, he still has to. pay for it. He gets a master's degree in. image processing from the Department of. Automatic Control [music] and his sister. helps pay for it. Now, essentially image.
processing, the foundational technology. is [music] for guided weapons, drone. perception, aerial reconnaissance, surveillance. It's very like um defense. engineering pipeline degree, [music]. which kind of fits NPU. That's what. they're known for. From there, he gets. into Casia, which is like the Chinese. That's where they do the AI, you know, stuff. And then Tsinghua, then Cold. Springs Lab in the US. And while he's. doing that, Chen's sister goes from. sending money over to pay for all of his. education. >> [music]. >> to now Now that he doesn't need the help.
and he's getting paid, now she's um back in their hometown. taking care of their elderly aging. parents. Since Chen clearly doesn't have the. time, he's also in the United States. He. has a demanding job and now he has a. wife and two kids. And the promise, like. the unspoken promise. Nobody says it. outright, but the unspoken promise, whether it, you know, is that the sister. is going to do all of this and Chen will. do everything he can to help his sister. later in [music] life whenever she asks. >> Yeah. >> And again, Chen does really, really,
really well in his field. He's been. granted a US green card based off his. outstanding contributions to science and. then later he gets a US citizenship. They purchase a house in Boston. He's. even offered a position at, again, Casia, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is like the highest academic. institution in the sector that he's. working in. It's like the most. prestigious. They collaborate closely. with the government. They're the ones. that helped create China's own um. BeiDou navigation satellite system. because, you know, um US sanctions. So,
China had to build its own like space. [music] station. They had to build like. their own navigation and it's crazy, okay? And they're the ones that mainly. did it. And so, he gets this opportunity. to go research there at this level and. it's huge. It's huge. So, he's like, "Okay, I want to go back. I want to go. there and do this." But his wife. Michelle is like, "Well, no, I don't. want to go to China. So, we're not going. to go there so you can do research that. you could maybe probably do here?". So, just figure out a way to do it here.
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>> [music]. >> Anyway, after the affair, originally the. plan is for everybody's sake to keep the. entire affair a secret. Chen and. Michelle are going to get divorced, but. they can give like some generic reason. about schedules. He's in China. Yeah, maybe there's probably going to be. rumors that he has like a mistress in. China cuz that's usually what happens. when these very vague reasons for. divorce come out in their circles, but. they could just say, "No, our schedules. were not matching up. It just didn't. make sense. We were not seeing each.
other. We were not seeing eye to eye.". As for Cohen, I mean, he's already in. college. It's natural he's drifting away. from his uncle and aunt. He's making his. own friends. So, it's not like he has to. call his sister and be like, "Oh, yeah, Cohen did this today. Cohen hung out. with me today." So, they're already. living separate lives. So, the whole. plan is not even to tell Cohen's mom. about what happened. Just tell nobody. >> Oh, they they haven't Okay, I see. >> That's the original plan. But Cohen. starts telling his mom what happened. He. shares his version of events, whether it. be the truth, [music] it's hard to say, we'll break it down in a second, but he.
tells his mom back in China that his. aunt, Chen's [music] wife, seduced him. And they were intimate for a while, but. he was so lonely. He didn't even really. know what was happening. It's like hard. to understand. And she manipulated him. into this really, really inappropriate. affair. >> [music]. >> And when Chen found out, you know, his. uncle found out, instead of protecting. him, he throws Cohen out of the house, leaving him practically stranded in the. United States with nobody he can reach. out to, nobody to look after him. [music]. And like sure, he's a college kid, but. still like this this is his only link to.
an adult who might be able to help him. He's only been in the States for a few. years. And now now on [music] top of. that, Mom, Chen is threatening to get a. restraining order out on me. And Cohen. is like, all I wanted to do was talk to. my uncle about what happened and. apologize and explain my side of the. events. But Chen is so hot-tempered, so. upset, so jealous, [music] so resentful, he threw me out of the house without. hearing me out and told me that this is. trespassing and he's going to get a. restraining order. With everyone finding out in the family.
about the real reason for the divorce, Chen is feeling probably humiliated, but. also there is this new pressure put on. him from his sister. She's upset because. then at least the least you can do, her. theory is like the least you can do is. help my son get a green card. >> By marrying [music] the aunt? >> Yeah, I guess her like thought process. is this is a woman who is 39, took. advantage of my son who is 18, went into. this new country where he knows nobody. The his entire life is now inside of. this box, which is probably his room.
inside of Chen's family house. And she. is the adult, she's the one making. decisions. And she seduces him, she. takes [music] advantage of this, ruins. his life, ruins the whole entire family. relations. And of course, Chen divorces. her. So the least she can do for. basically repentance is to marry my son, give him a green card. Like this is what. he should get out of the trauma, at. least, [music]. is kind of like her thought process in. the theory. And but she's mad cuz she's like, okay, brother, not only are you letting your.
ex-wife not marry my son because that's. the least she can do after taking. advantage of him because that's from her. perspective is. >> brought it up to Chen and Chen said no. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> And on top of that she's like, "Now. you're trying to get a restraining order. against my son?" Which again jeopardizes. his chances of getting a visa or green. card the more appropriate way through. work after he graduates because he's on. a student visa and that's so much harder. also to get like an H1B visa it's so.
difficult. From her perspective she did. everything from her brother and this is. how he repays her for her one and only. son. She repeatedly calls Chen [music]. telling him that you know, "Kwon is. young. He's clearly been used and. seduced by your ex-wife. Yes, he acted. foolishly but now that it's all said and. done, the least you guys can do is get. him the green card.". It is unclear if this version of events. is true, though I can see how it is. highly possible, okay? Considering. Michelle is the one in the position of. power in the situation and I will stand. on that. I tend to agree that she's.
mostly the one at fault. I get that Kwon. is 19. I get that the affair started. after he was 18 but he's in a very. vulnerable situation where he's coming. into a brand new place, moving to a. whole new country. He doesn't speak the. language, he has no support system. He. thinks he's being taken care of in this. home. I can see how he is the most. vulnerable in this situation. Though I. do see some netizens saying Michelle. might have been vulnerable because you. know, she's in a marriage where her. husband is never home, she's left alone. with the kids, her entire identity is. just being alone and raising a family.
without a husband. That's just. speculation of what people think. Michelle was going through. However, um. Michelle is also the one that reportedly. wanted Chen to work in China a lot. It's. been reported that she was not. enthusiastic of a research opportunity. that Chen received in China that he was. really excited for but she was. enthusiastic of a lucrative business. idea that he wanted to start a company. in China. So some people are putting the blame on. her and like, well, it's kind of your fault that he's not. home because you wanted him to go start.
this company. >> [music]. >> instead of just being satisfied with his. research roles where he is probably. doing greater good for humankind and. society trying to find ways to prevent. cancer even if it is using technology. that people may not agree with. He might. ultimately net neutral, like be saving. lives at least. So, there is that that. people are like, well, I mean, he didn't. really have to be in China all the time, so that doesn't make any sense. Or if. you really wanted, you can move to China. with the kids, but regardless, there's a.
lot of back and forth, but I would say. wholeheartedly out of the two, Michelle. and Cohen, it's pretty clear the one who. bears more responsibility, at least for. the start and the continuation of the. affair, is Michelle. She's 20 years. older than Cohen, double his age, she's. supposed to be his caretaker in the US, even though he is an adult, but still. However, there are new theories that. have come out kind of out of nowhere. Um, there's stories coming out that. perhaps Cohen is the mastermind of this. affair. Mainly, this is stemming from.
online forums with netizens who claim. they went to high school with Cohen. One. particularly well-circulating post, the. netizen who claims to know Cohen says he. is highly manipulative, that during his. high school years in China, he just. jumped from one girlfriend to another to. another, which is not inherently a bad. thing. However, they believe that he was. manipulating and using his girlfriends. They claim that Cohen had a whole group. of guys in high school that looked up to. him because they all wanted to be PUAs, pickup artists.
>> Yeah, but in Chinese context, it's like. basically you're. >> Gaslight manipulator. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Yeah, it's not like a Yeah. >> Get different girls. >> Like lying, scheming, and cheating is. not below a PUA. It's It's has a very. strong negative connotation, probably. worse than America. And they said that. Cohen would have let This is It's. allegation that's coming from like a. random netizen post that he would film. himself having intimate relations with. girls and share it amongst the group of. guys who also aspired to be PUAs.
But I don't know if this is true at all. or if he just like would talk a big game. cuz he's a high schooler and I think the. only part that would be really alarming. is if these videos were shared without. anyone's consent or taken without. anyone's consent. Also, they're minors. at that point, so that's already. concerning. However, I don't know how. true this post is. There's really no. verification process for this. There's. no way to authenticate it, but it has. since gone viral in China, which is why. a lot of Chinese netizens have kind of. bought into this theory that maybe.
Michelle is not the one that started the. affair. Not that they like Michelle. It. seems most netizens don't like her, but. maybe she's not the one that started the. affair. Again, I don't know how true. that is. The theory goes on in China. that Michelle was not a fan of Cohen. when he first got to the US. She was. really annoyed that she [music] has this. task of taking on, you know, a. full-grown teenager that she's not even. personally related to other than by. marriage. He's a burden. She's probably. not treating him the nicest and the. netizens theorize that Cohen, seeing.
this, feeling this, he decides instead. of being upset and treating her the same. way, he's just going to woo her. He. starts changing his attitude, showering. her with compliments, not thinking it. was probably going to lead to an affair. [music]. that it was just going to make her be. nice to him. But things snowball into an. affair. [music]. Who's the one that should have stopped. it? Probably Michelle. You get the idea. People are spread It's a lot. Others. have been spreading even more bizarre. theories online stating that Cohen had a. plan to come to the US. He knew that his. uncle and aunt had a strained. relationship because his mom would talk.
about it. That's an allegation. That's. like a huge specu- It's a rumor. It's. not even an allegation. It's a. rumor. That he just wanted to break up. the parents so he could get his aunt. marry for a green card. Now, I will say. there's a little bit more nuance to. this. I know everyone's like, "Well, that's like a huge theory for Chinese. netizens to come up with. Like, why. would he marry his aunt for a green. card? It is a very tricky situation. So, when Chinese students come into the. United States to study, they all come on. a student visa. And getting a green card.
or getting citizenship is notoriously. difficult of really anyone of any. nationality when they come into the. United States. Obviously, like we see it. on the news all the time. But, with. Chinese students, it's especially. difficult because the people that they. typically socialize with and form. relationships, into personal. relationships, and therefore maybe. future marriages, are also Chinese. students who are more immersed in. Chinese culture versus like Chinese. Americans who might be American. citizens, right? Or are American.
citizens. And so, if they find each. other, you kind of get these situations. where you have now a couple in the US. and they're both hoping that they can. separately get H-1B visas, or at least. one of them can and the other one can. try to stay. >> H-1B is work visa, right? >> Yes, which are very difficult and you. have to have specialized skills in the. industry and a lot of the industries. that they're going into, such as tech, such as you know, it's just like a very. overpopulated industry of people trying.
to get H-1B visas. Unless you're. phenomenal at your job, it's going to be. very difficult. And even if you are. phenomenal at your job, it gives you a. really limited sense of mobility because. if you're an American citizen, you could. work at Meta today and then Amazon. tomorrow because they pay you more, but. then you're kind of locked into a. company for a very long time until you. can find a way to get a different visa. that's not dependent on your work. It's. just it's really hard. It's a really. lengthy process. Visas are a huge deal.
to the point where. uh I believe cuz I was like talking to. the Chinese researcher about it and she. was saying like, even if you like go on. dating websites in China, like in the US. as a Chinese person, a lot of the. Chinese students will indicate on their. dating profile if they have a visa or if. they don't. >> Yeah. >> It changes the whole like factor of the. relationship. So, it's like a huge deal. So, this is not just like a let me marry. my aunt and do something crazy for. giggles. It's like a. >> Yeah. >> maybe some people can wrap their minds.
around why he would do something. Not. saying he did, but why this rumor gained. legs and started running around. He. would also be able to secure permanent. residency from that point if he were to. marry someone with US citizenship. I. don't know if that's the case. There's a. lot of back and forth of rumors here. Technically, he is studying computer. science at Northeastern University. He. could technically apply for an H-1B. visa. Um you know, again, difficult. It's Northeastern is not a top 10.
school. It is ranked top 50 in the. United States. It's an incredible. university, okay? It's It's a good. school. It's just like visas are. hard. I don't know what else to say. It's just so difficult. He may have a. relatively okay chance at securing a. visa, but it's not guaranteed. So, the. only way to guarantee a visa is to marry. a US citizen. However, he goes to. Northeastern, a lot of the girls that he. probably would date are probably fellow. Chinese students who are also trying to. secure a visa. And then with Chinese. Americans or even Americans of different.
cultures, there it's not going to be as. easy to mesh and click and try to cuz I. don't know how proficient he is at. English. didn't seem like he had that. much struggles, but you get what I'm. saying. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So, maybe the easiest way would be to. marry his aunt on paper for a few years. Another theory is that Chen's older. sister was never resentful of being. Voldemort out loud, but maybe she expressed it to her. [music] son and in the privacy of her. own nuclear family unit. So, maybe she.
talked about it all the time with her. brother and in front of her son, Cohen. Or maybe she She things like, "Oh, yeah, my brother got into Harvard at the. Department of Statistics, but it's all. because of me. He wouldn't have been. able to do it without me because I paid. his way through college." So, perhaps. she felt like he was living the life. that she was owed, and Cohen soaking in. all of these statements throughout his. years of development, he decided that. his uncle really just owes him things is. what a lot of Chinese netizens suspect. And this is coming from, I think, a lot.
of cultural nuance that they probably. have in this case that we don't have as. much in the United States. So, they're. saying like we've seen situations like. this where sisters will openly talk. about it in front of their kids, talk. about their uncles, and say these types. of things or or they feel like they need. to be repaid. So, maybe for that reason they felt it. was entirely reasonable for Michelle to. marry Cohen for the green card. But again, these are just internet. theories and rumors. There's really. nothing that we can be certain about, and Cohen is no longer here to defend.
himself against such rumors and. allegations, which makes the waters much. murkier here. But one of Cohen's old. roommate has done a few interviews where. he states at least from his perspective, he thought Cohen was scared of his. uncle. Yeah, he says Cohen was telling him that. he's scared that his uncle is going to. break in one day and kill him. And. obviously, the roommate is like, "I also. live here. So, now I'm scared, too.". >> This is after the fear. >> Yeah. >> That uncle found out. >> Mhm. >> So. >> So, the roommate is like, "But you know, at the end of the day, I felt like it.
was him being paranoid. >> [music]. >> And maybe Chen's resume played a role. into it." Because I I also think like. subconsciously, I'd be like, "He's. trying to like he's studying cell. biology for cancer. Like, maybe he's not. going to kill you." Like, I don't know. For the affair itself, there are people. who blame Michelle and only Michelle. There are people who blame Cohen and. only Cohen. And then there are people, probably the majority of people, who. feel like it's just probably all around. a tricky situation, mainly falling on.
Michelle. But also, is [music] Cohen as. innocent as people think he is, innocent. in the ethical and moral sense, [music]. not in the illegal criminal sense. Because after all of this, after the. affair is found out by Chen, and Cohen. goes back to his dorm, it's said that he. would he would show up to the house a. lot. >> Who's house? >> Chen and Michelle's house. >> Who's living there right now? >> So Chen ends up moving back in because. of this. So it when it was just Michelle. and the kids, it's said that Cohen would.
show up a lot and like trespass onto. their property trying to talk to. Michelle. He allegedly would also. non-stop send messages to Michelle. He. would show up to the church that she. goes to. He says that he just wants to. talk to her and just talk, that's it. But the messages he sends are far more. threatening than just talking. He tells. her that he's going to kill her entire. family. >> What? >> Yeah, but it's like not just I'm going. to kill your entire family, it's like if. I'm not going to kill your entire. family, I'm going to self-exit. So I I'm.
not entirely sure what the energy of. that type of text message is, but it. it's not. >> or. >> Yeah, either or. >> Either I'm going to kill you all or I'm. going to kill myself, basically. >> Yeah. So this is very alarming for Chen, and. that is when he ends up moving back into. the family house. He's not trying to get. back together with Michelle. So this is. not like a let's try again type of. thing, it's more like, "Hey, my kids are. in here. So I I'm scared for my kids.". >> why he had the restraining order, right? >> Yes, so he ends up getting a restraining. order. And they end up drawing the line.
for this restraining order, so it it. seems like there were multiple. incidences where they didn't think it. was far enough to get a restraining. order, but they finally do it once Cohen. allegedly shows up at the children's. elementary school waiting for Michelle. to come pick them up so that he can. catch Michelle and talk to Michelle. So. there are allegations that Cohen would. show up to the house and just like peer. through the windows until they would. open up, which they would never open the. door. Just a lot a lot um it's also said. that Cohen started demanding that his. uncle Chen find him someone to marry. If.
Michelle is not going to marry him, the. least he can do is get me a green card, or else I'm going to tell everyone. online about what happened. >> our report coming from? >> From what they alleged happened in order. to get this restraining order. >> This is directly from Chen, reported to. the police. >> No, so he's reporting it to his. attorney, and the attorney is. summarizing this for the judge. However, there is text message evidence, but in. terms of like we did try to FOIA this. case, it's still pending, so they didn't.
give us any files. But, um, I don't know. if we have the exact evidence for that. But, this is what he told his attorney, and the attorney told the judge, and a. restraining order was granted. >> Wow. >> So, he's saying that I just want. permanent residency, find me someone to. marry, and Chen is like, "Okay, I'm not. someone who runs in those circles. I'm. sure there are people out there who will. find someone who would arrange an. illegal, an unethical deal where you pay. money and marry someone for a green. card, right?" But, he doesn't know these. people, and also he thinks what nerve.
does Cohen have to not like what leg do. you have to stand on to make these. demands after everything that's. transpired? Like, maybe he could make. these demands to Michelle, but to Chen, he feels like this is kind of crazy. It's also been reported that in one. heated confrontation, Cohen beat up Chen. and put him in a headlock. It's unclear. if this happened, it's unclear if Chen. attacked him first. Everything is kind. of unclear, but it seems that it seems. like there was definitely something. going on. Chen and Michelle end up filing a. restraining order against Cohen in late.
2020, and one of the screenshots of the. threatening messages sent to Michelle. from Cohen was submitted as evidence. He's texting his aunt saying things. like, "If I don't kill your entire. family, I'm going to self-exit." Great. This is just too amazing. My. future has been ruined by you, you. ruined everything for me. She goes, "Ruined by me?" And he. responds, "Now I'm the walking dead with. a zero dignity left. In 2020, the court not only issues a. restraining order, but because of the. threats of self exit in the messages, um.
that's a cause for concern for the. courts. They decide to hospitalize Cohen. and put him on a self exit watch for a. few days, which does not make Cohen feel. better about his uncle and aunt. After. the restraining order is filed, it's. said that Cohen felt even more wronged. by the whole hospital stint, everything, because all of these things are probably. going to They're not going to help his. chances of getting a green card cuz, you. know, these are all going to be in. probably the I don't know how much of. the hospitalization stay will be. I. don't know if it would be recorded as. just he was hospitalized cuz he was.
sectioned for it, so it is, you know, but I don't know if like I don't think. they're going to get reports cuz that's. a HIPAA violation, but I think it would. probably show up. And so any violation of this restraining. order would result in a criminal record, which would ruin any and all chance he. would have at applying for a visa or. green card in the near future. So, with. all of that going on, Chen's dad [music]. passes away. So, in the midst of all of this, Chen's. dad passes away. Just Yeah, and then. it's just their mother left and with.
nothing left to argue about, Chen's. sister allegedly threatens Chen, "If you. don't help my son get a green card, I'm. going to abandon our mother. I'm going to leave her. Like I'm just. not going to take care of her. What are. you going to do? You're barely in our. hometown. When you come to China, you're. like working in the big city. What are. you going to do? Like all of that is. going to be on you.". It is said that under all of this. alleged pressure, Chen's mental state. starts crumbling. The only mental. protection he has is knowing that Cohen, the only thing he cares most about, is. staying in the United States. So, he's. not going to break that restraining.
order as long as it's in place. The order is only valid for 1 and 1/2. years, and the court will then have to. decide whether or not they need to. extend it. For the 1 and 1/2 years that. it is in place, Chen's life is a living. hell from the constant pressures, but. still, this [music] is kind of his only. saving grace. His company in China is. suffering because of his frequent. absences. He's stressed nonstop about. his kids' safety. He's trapped in this. house with his ex-wife, and it's just he.
has to face and confront the affair. every day because again, it happened in. the house. And I was actually on Reddit, and a lot of people who have been whose. partners have had affairs say it's. actually so detrimental to find them in. the house. Like they're saying they. think the trauma of the affair would be. slashed in half had it never taken place. in the house. Because it's like such your safe space. that now feels so dirty, and they say. that everything, every room reminds you. of the affair. And so, I wonder if that.
did something to his psyche. Not that I. it would excuse anything, but his. >> of that, from your families. >> And so, his very stable, envy-inducing. life, where his work is actually. producing some sort of, hopefully, net-positive purpose for humankind is. just gone. April 7th, 2022, they're at Cambridge. District Court in Medford, Massachusetts. to attend a hearing on whether or not. they should extend the restraining order. against Cohen. During the restraining. order, Tren says, "He strangled me,
physically attacked me, went to. elementary school to find my child. without permission, >> went to two elementary school to find my. child without permission, attempted to enter my house on several. occasions, and they would show up. unannounced late at night, and. and they just. hiding lying lingering outside windows.". >> Cohen was there. He testified it before. the judge, and he says, "I think it's a. good time for both of the parties to.
move on. I think for me, I've been like. working very hard on myself. >> I think it's a good time for both of the. parties to move on. I think for me, I. have been like working very hard on. myself. I have totally moved out of this. matter and I even moved away from where. I previously lived. I live with my. church friends. >> Ultimately, the judge states that they. did not see any grounds on extending the. restraining order. The judge states, "With the defendant having moved, it. seems that the likelihood that they're. going to encounter each other in their. everyday lives is much diminished.".
>> Seems that the likelihood that they're. going to encounter each other in their. everyday lives is much diminished and. that I haven't seen a significant change. in circumstances other than to. ameliorate the need for the order. >> With the restraining order being lifted, this meant that there is no longer any. restriction on Cohen coming near them, near their property, contacting them, going to their children's schools. Their. session was the last session in court. that day. Some people speculate that the. judge just wanted to get out of there.
That's a huge speculation, but after the. last session, everyone is slowly leaving. the courthouse. As they're leaving, William Barbino, who is Chen's attorney, is, you know, making sure Chen is okay. and he's thanking his attorney and. Chen's like, "I'll I'll be fine." And. he's like, "Thank you. Thank you." Like, "I'm just going to go home." Michelle is. not there, by the way. So, Chen he exits. the courthouse, walks towards the. parking lot, gets to his car and he's. clearly not fine. Because he steps into the parking lot. and he makes eye contact with Cohen and. it's said that in that moment something.
happens. It's hard to say what, [music]. but people think that maybe he looked at. Cohen and saw something in his eyes that. indicated like a promise of like, "I'm. going to keep harassing you." Maybe. Maybe it was a snarky look. Maybe it was. nothing. Maybe he looked at the back of. Cohen's head and was like, "No. I can't do this." I don't know. We like. genuinely there's no way of knowing what. went on in his mind at that moment, but. he decides. to ram his car into Cohen. And then get out the [music] car and. shoot him.
>> A man under arrest accused of shooting. and killing his own nephew. Prosecutors. say it started with a legal battle in. court and then minutes later ended in. murder. >> Also, he brought a gun, though. >> Yeah, but he does have a license to. carry. Yeah, a concealed carry permit, I. believe. >> There will be a huge argument. Is it. premeditated versus. >> Yeah, that's a huge thing right now. So, um the fact that he has that permit. makes it harder to prove premeditation. >> Right.
>> I think even, you know, even to argue. it's a crime of passion is difficult. Some would say it would be more. applicable if he had killed him in bed. when he found the affair. But I would. say that this is actually a pretty solid. argument that could have a back and. forth of crime of passion because it is. after the restraining order was denied. and his safety he feels like he needs to. protect some sort of safety for himself, his ex-wife, and his kids maybe, perhaps. Could be an argument. I'm not. entirely sure, but he does um get into.
the car, rams into Cohen's body, and. shoots him five to six times. And 23-year-old [music]. Cohen is killed. Chen's attorney says he thought he heard. construction noises, like the ramming of. the car, and he went outside and that's. when he realized, he said, [music] "I. went in." He sees Chen with the gun, so. he's like, "I just I went in.". I just kind of put my knee on his back. So, he sees the police, he sees that. that's his client, he's like, "I mean, I. would assume that the police want my. client. Okay, want to restrain him." So, he's like, "I just went in, >> [music]. >> put my knee on his back, kind of rubbed.
his back a little bit, just kind of. comforting him, I guess.". >> Just very gently placed a knee on him. and. sort of rubbed his back. I. I don't know, you know, I mean, this is. what happened to me. >> Wait, so he went in, the cops were. standing by just watching with with. their guns? >> Yeah, I think they were trying to assess. how. >> how to approach. The attorney just. charged? >> Yeah. >> And okay. >> Yeah, I don't think he charged, but more. so like, you know, was like approaching. calmly. >> Oh. >> so that he didn't startle Chen. >> I see. >> And then he just put him on the ground.
Chen went down without a fight and he. said I just kind of looked over there. and uh there was a dead body and my. client here and I knew the police would. want to have him, so I just kind of held. him there. He says about the restraining order and. this whole situation, he says it's. really sad. I mean, Chen was so gentle. Chen was so kind. He didn't have any. history of violence. He never had a. restraining order against him. He never. had any allegations of physical abuse. He grew up in China originally. >> [music]. >> He got his PhD there. It was in. statistics. I mean, he's a bright guy.
He was basically number one in all of. his scholastics, all of his education. Then he went over to postdoc at Harvard. in statistics. He has two children. I I. know he loves his children very much. There's going to be two children at home. who do not have a dad if in fact he's. the killer. Which, you know, he's a lawyer, so he. has to say that. And if he goes to the jail for the rest. of his life, he was very kind and. pleasant and timely and decent and just. like the type of guy you always want. working next to you. You know what I. mean? I mean, it's emotional. It's.
powerful stuff. It just really affected. him apparently more than I could see. I. knew it affected him clearly, but it. affected him obviously a great deal. The. DA states, "We know the restraining. order was not renewed. We don't know if. that was the reason for whatever. happened outside the courthouse.". He was arrested. He was denied bail. And it's going to be very interesting. considering a lot of the public. sentiment actually seems to be in favor. of Chen. A lot of people also have this. >> ongoing still? >> Yeah, so he and it's just very messy. I.
think a lot of the public sentiment. comes from clearly his resume, clearly. his track record of no criminal history. and his resume of doing such high-level. research in fields that again could. probably ultimately end up helping. people and his very docile demeanor and. further, I think a lot of people have. frustration on the restraining order. process in the United States of how it's. almost like never never given out. How. it's never really upheld, how the police.
don't really care until the restraining. order is broken, which at that point, like, where is the harm done? Probably. everywhere. So, a lot of people, they side with. Chen. They think that he actually was someone. who was driven into madness by. relentless pressure by everyone around. him. One person says, "I really. sympathize with Dr. Chen. Hope he. receives a lenient sentence so he can. return to a peaceful life.". Others, you know, think that he should. what he was doing for humans was. probably way more important, so they.
think like we should just let him out. They're like, "He's probably He's not. like a spree killer. He's probably not. going to go out and like randomly kill. another person." Not that he killed. alleged you know. Others say, "Well, he's got to lay in his bed. He made it, he's got to lay in his bed." They think. that Chen's biggest mistake was, quote, "He made the wrong woman and ruined his. entire life." Others lament on the fact. that Chen could have actually done a big. service to society saying, "This is so sad. I truly feel sorry for. him. He could have had a brilliant. future." Others blame the court saying.
the court refused to extend the. restraining order to his nephew. The. court implicitly made this happen. Others say, "Bless this guy who's just. trying to protect his family against his. crazy relative." During the arraignment, he was in court. He looks I mean, he. bears like zero resemblance to the Chen. everyone knew. He looks like he's having. a full mental breakdown. He looks. disheveled. He looks like I don't think. he was, but he looks like he's been. sedated. He looks like he's been dragged. into court. Like his hair is a mess. He. is kind of in like a hospital gown, so I.
don't know if he's been sedated, but it. looks like he could have been. He has. pled not guilty to murder and armed. assault. The judge ordered Chen be held. without bail. Ms. Chen was present in. the courtroom. She was visibly. distraught. She did wave goodbye to him. as he was being taken away. So, it is. going to be interesting. Now, he He a. new attorney cuz um this is now a very. serious criminal case and his new. attorney has stated, "My client was. seeking a restraining order against the. person that is now being described as.
the victim. There is a lot of. investigation that has to happen to. understand who and why things happened. the way they did." China's gone from a. very well-respected cancer researcher to. now being on trial for murder. What are. your thoughts on this case? >> his sister? >> There was a um in 2025 a wrongful death. suit filed on behalf of Cohen's estate. So, I would imagine his mother is. heavily involved in that against Chen. And it has been settled. It has been.
like just yeah. >> So, it doesn't seem like it's settled. I. don't think that there was an exchange. of any um payment or damages paid. It's. just been dropped. Yeah. >> Wow, this is man. >> Yeah. But I think um maybe the trial will be. enlightening in the sense we can. actually get some real answers. I do. think that there is a huge role that. Michelle played in all of this. I think. there are really only just rumors of how.
much of a role Cohen played. I think it. would be interesting to see all of the. evidence come out of whether or not he. was extensively stalking them because. there are some rumors on Chinese social. media of people saying. maybe this was Michelle trying to lure. her husband ex-husband back. by creating this like I guess potential. threat to safety. So, there's you know, like I guess questions of how scary was. was this restraining order against Cohen.
even. as scary as people think it is. Like I. guess there's that rumor. So, we don't. know and I think that is. it's going to be a huge point of. contention. What are your thoughts? Let. me know in the comments. Be safe and I. will see you in the next one. >> [music]. >> Mhm.
