Virginia Tech Graduate Student Decapitates Fellow Student

By Sarah Harper

Published on January 28, 2009

On Wednesday, a 25-year-old male Virginia Tech graduate student attacked a 22-year-old female graduate student with a knife and decapitated her.

The killing occurred around 7 p.m. at the Au Bon Pain restaurant in the University's Graduate Life Center. According to police reports of witness statements, Zhu and Yang were not seen arguing before the attack. When police arrived at the scene, they found Zhu with blood on him and immediately took him into custody. Zhu did not say anything to the arresting officers.

A native of Beijing, China, Yang had arrived at the University a mere two weeks prior to begin her studies in accounting. Zhu, a native of Ningbo, China, began his studies in fall 2008. Authorities indicate that, according to emergency contact records maintained by the University, the killer, Haiyang Zhu, and the victim, Xin Yang, knew each other, although no other details on their relationship were provided.

The killing was the first on the campus since April 2007, when a shooter killed 32 students and professors before taking his own life.

Zhu is charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail.

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