USA Unsolved 16 (CA) - Jenny Lin

**Jessica** (0:00)
Welcome back to another episode of USA Unsolved, where we look into unsolved cases in the US involving those of Asian descent. You will find that we will be traveling back to the state of California quite often, not only because it is a very large state, but also because a lot of Asians live there. Hawaii is technically the state with the most Asians, but California is second on that list, followed by Washington state. So that's why we are back here today. Today's case has actually been covered by a few other podcasts, most notably Crime Junkie, and this case has also been featured on the Queen of Hearts from the Cold Case Card Deck in Alameda County, California.
Today's case concerns a young girl named Jennifer Han Chi Lin. She was just a child. She had a lot going on in her life, and no one was able to find a reason for her brutal murder, probably because there is absolutely no good reason for it. But then again, most murders don't really make sense, or the reasons are extremely silly. Let's take a look at who Jenny Lin was, what happened to her, and where the investigation stands today. Let's begin. The Lin parents arrived in the US in the year 1973 to pursue their master's degrees. Originally, they were from Taiwan, and John Lin studied computer science, and his wife, Mei Lian, was pursuing a graduate degree in biochemistry. After completing their studies, John was hired at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. The Lin's at the time were already doing pretty well for themselves, both specializing in quite lucrative careers. They settled down in Northern California, and eventually they had two daughters, their first born being Rhoda in 1975, and then Jenny in May of 1980 While they moved around a bit here and there in the general area, they eventually found a perfect home for the four of them in 1991, located in Castro Valley, a suburb in Alameda County, which is just east of San Francisco.
So what was Jenny like? In the year 1994, Jenny was 14 She had been studying the piano and violin for years, which is a very standard Asian daughter thing. Most Asian kids I grew up with were encouraged to learn either the piano or the violin. I don't know why that is, but it's just super common. As for Jenny though, she was much more than just her musical talents. She had a great relationship with her family. She was a straight-A student, set to graduate middle school in 1994 as valedictorian. Not only did she excel in school and extracurricular activities, she also had a great circle of friends and was described as a popular girl. She was curious, took dance lessons, and spent her Saturday mornings going to Chinese school to learn the language and culture. In fact, she had just celebrated her 14th birthday with her friends only days before she was murdered. But why? What happened? And most importantly, who would do this? The date was Friday, May 27, 1994 School had finished for the day and Jenny headed home, probably excited to relax and enjoy the weekend. She got home at around 2:45 p.m. and like a responsible child, she proceeded to work on her homework, but also taking it easy, as it was a Friday after all. She played on the piano a bit, had a snack, watched some TV, did some homework, and phoned her friends. Her parents were at work, and her sister, being five years older, was probably off at college. The last anyone heard from her was around 5:15 p.m. when she finished a call with a friend of hers. Then at 5:30 p.m., the home phone rang once more. This time, it was Jenny's dad, John, calling in to check on her. Although only 15 minutes had gone by, Jenny failed to pick up the phone. Perhaps she was busy, perhaps she was in the bathroom, or maybe she just didn't hear it or get to it in time. Either way, I can't say this was a huge cause for concern. About an hour and 15 minutes later, John returned home from his work in San Francisco. He entered his home, noting that the TV was still on, but no sign of Jenny. Again, nothing strange about that. John continued looking through the house, eventually heading upstairs. He entered the home's primary bathroom, and there he found Jenny. Jenny was lying on the bathroom floor, partially disrobed, bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds. It was clear that Jenny was already deceased, and despite the shock and grief John had to face that specific moment, he called the police and an investigation into Jenny's death was launched immediately. Police began gathering evidence, and the first thing they looked into was how someone could have gotten into the Lin residence. It appeared that the neighbors had, at some point in the afternoon, heard the sound of glass breaking. When looking around for the source of this, police found a broken window in the dining room. While this could explain how the intruder got in, it was also revealed that the patio sliding door was left unlocked. As for Jenny, she was stabbed to death. Her hands had been bound together, and it appeared that the intruder had forced her to take off her clothes. However, upon further examination, it did not appear as if Jenny had been sexually assaulted. It was strongly believed that the intruder was interrupted before he was able to play out his sick fantasy. It's worth wondering just how long was the intruder in the house for. Did he enter after Jenny hung up the phone call with her friends? Or was he already inside, hiding, biding his time? But why would anyone want to kill a 14-year-old girl? The idea of revenge or some personal grudge did not really seem likely. Perhaps it was someone that harbored hatred towards the parents. Nothing of that sort came up during the investigation, but John Lin did tell the police of a bizarre encounter weeks before Jenny's murder. On May 12th, a strange man came up to Jenny's dad at a BART station. And if you're unfamiliar, BART stands for the Bay Area Rapid Transit. So basically, the local train system. The man appeared quite disheveled, and he told John that, quote, I got your daughter, unquote. While it seemed unlikely, John was rattled, so he rushed home to check. Turns out, both his daughters were safe and sound. John chucked this whole thing up as a weirdo encounter. And honestly, this kind of stuff does happen from time to time. Even though the police agreed with John, and also didn't think the stranger was involved in Jenny's murder, they were still interested in finding this man. You just never know, however implausible.