>>Ex-Va. Tech Student Pleads Guilty in Decapitation
>>The San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking
>>APALC Board Member Becomes First Chinese American Federal District Court Judge
>>SavantMD.com Brings the Family Doctor — and the Specialist — to San Franciscans
Compiled by Melissa He
NATION
Ex-Va. Tech Student Pleads Guilty in Decapitation
Christianburg, Va. — A former Virginia Tech graduate student pleaded guilty Monday to decapitating a classmate, and prosecutors for the first time revealed the reason for the campus cafe killing, saying his romantic advances had been rejected.
Prosecutors described in detail a heartbroken Haiyang Zhu (hy-yuhng-joo) who had had fallen in love with Xin Yang (shin yuhng), only to be rebuffed when she told him she had a boyfriend she planned to marry. Previously, authorities had been tightlipped about what led to the killing.
Zhu, who faces up to life in prison, did not say at the plea hearing why he killed Yang.
“Your honor, I plead guilty,” he said, his hands shackled to a chain circling his waist.
Prosecutor Brad Finch said on the morning of the killing Jan. 21, Zhu bought the 8-inch butcher knife used in the murder, two other knives and a claw hammer. He also called the 22-year-old woman a dozen times after buying the weapons.
Finch cited a letter Zhu wrote while in jail, which said Yang’s rejection “forced him to kill her” because “he loved her too much.”
Zhu’s first-degree murder plea did not qualify for the death penalty under Virginia law, but Finch said he would seek the maximum penalty. Virginia does not have parole.
Finch also described the attack in detail, noting that Yang suffered numerous defensive wounds to her hands and arms as she tried to fend off Zhu. She eventually fell and he severed her head. He was holding it when police arrived.
It appeared Yang, who was from Beijing, had met Zhu of Ningbo, China, only recently, Kim Beisecker, the director of Cranwell International Center, has said. Zhu, a doctoral student in agricultural and applied economics, had been assisting her in adjusting to life at Tech, something the 500 Chinese students often do for new members in their community.
Montgomery Circuit Judge Robert Turk said Zhu will be sentenced on April 19.
–washingtonpost.com
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BAY/CAL
The San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking
On January 11, 2010, the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking will hold a press conference at City Hall in San Francisco to announce its innovative collaboration and to introduce a month-long awareness campaign. It will begin on 1/11/2010 and end on 2/12/2010. Activities will include a panel discussion by service providers, film screening and additional events.
Please visit www.sf-hrc.org for more info about the awareness campaign. If you would like more info about SFCAHT or the situation of human trafficking in San Francisco, please contact Kristie Miller at SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation), 415-358-2716 or Lenore Anderson at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, 415-553-1189.
APALC Board Member Becomes First Chinese American Federal District Court Judge
Los Angeles, CA – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Dolly M. Gee to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles). Gee’s appointment is historic, as she becomes the first Chinese American female to serve as an Article III Judge. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) joins other Asian American civil rights and legal organizations in congratulating Gee.
“We are extraordinarily proud of Dolly Gee and our entire board and staff celebrate her historic appointment to the federal bench,” said Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director of APALC. “Dolly is an inspiration to many of us, not just for her legal skills and accomplishments, but also for her dedication and commitment to justice and community.”
Since 1986, Gee has been a partner at Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP, where she specializes in labor and employment law. She has served on the boards of many community legal organizations including the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the California Women’s Law Center, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Gee was also a founding member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County, from whom she received the President’s Award. Gee has also received many awards, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Associaiton’s highest honor, the Trailblazer Award; numerous pro bono service awards; and the “Super Lawyer” distinction from Los Angeles Magazine.
SavantMD.com Brings the Family Doctor — and the Specialist — to San Franciscans
San Francisco — Just in time for the holidays, when we tend to eat and drink more than is good for us, SavantMD.com offers tips for enjoying the festivities while avoiding weight gain. But SavantMD.com does far more: it’s the only site that connects Bay Area residents with local physicians – including specialists in dermatology, gynecology, cardiology, and other fields — who provide timely and useful medical information using short videos, podcasts, blog posts, and reader feedback. The goal is to educate and motivate people to participate in their own health and wellness.
“SavantMD.com offers a tremendous opportunity for Bay Area residents to arm themselves with easy-to-digest health information provided by many of the region’s bright medical minds,” said Dr. Mark Savant, cofounder and native of San Francisco. “Our aim is to make learning about health matters much easier than ever before and in this way help people participate in their own health and wellness.”
Dr. Savant is French/Italian and Chinese/Indian and head of an Asian Physician’s Networking organization in San Francisco. A member of St. Mary’s Medical Center and St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, Dr. Savant is a team physician for the athletic department at the University of San Francisco and past chair of the Asian Physician’s Advisory Committee. No stranger to the Internet, Dr. Savant has received a 5 star rating on Yelp.com. He earned a bachelor’s degree in classics, but while attending a friend’s medical school graduation while he was on a Fulbright in France, discovered a passion for helping people and took the route to medicine.
