00:01:18
ITN
Hunt for student killer stepped up
Hunt for student killer stepped up
Police are turning to the Chinese community for help in finding the killer of a couple in Newcastle. Xi Zhoun and her boyfriend Zhen Yang, both 25 were found dead in their flat after being subjected to what detectives described as a frenzied attack. The couple suffered severe head injuries and were killed with a knife and another sharp weapon. Detectives have yet to establish a motive, but believe the killer or killers may have been known to the victims as there was no sign of a break-in. Det Supt Steve Wade, leading the investigation, said: "A painstaking and thorough forensic examination is being carried out. "House to house inquiries are continuing in the vicinity of the crime scene and the search of the scene is ongoing looking for possible weapons used in the attack. "We are using Chinese media outlets, internet websites, and community contacts to try and build up a lifestyle profile of the victims and identify the last sightings of the couple alive." Det Supt Wade said: "They were two nice, hard-working, respectable people who have come to the UK for the best of reasons - to get a good education. "We have no known motive for this savage and brutal attack. "They had both worked hard while at Newcastle University and both had done extremely well, graduating with good degrees." He said Ms Zhou worked as a waitress at the Wagamama restaurant in the city centre where her colleagues said she had a "bubbly personality and was a joy to work with". Ms Zhou's relatives have been traced to the province of Hunan in South China, with the help of relatives in the UK.
ITN | August 12, 2008
