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Read More| Full Name | Zhu Hou |
| Age | 76 |
| Race / Sex | Asian Female |
| Location | Manhattan, New York |
| Case Type | Elder Abuse Homicide |
Zhu Hou was 76 years old and lived in her apartment at the Knickerbocker Village complex on Monroe Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. She had two sons. In October 2025, out of what appears to have been maternal generosity, she allowed her younger son Wei Hou to move in with her.
According to prosecutors, the arrangement quickly became contentious. Zhu believed Wei was stealing money from her to fund a drug habit. Arguments between the two became frequent. Her older son had visited just the day before she was killed, dropping by to fix a bedroom door that Wei had reportedly broken earlier in December.
Zhu Hou deserved to spend her final years in peace and safety. Instead she was killed in her own home by the son she had tried to help.
Zhu Hou, 76, lived alone in her apartment at Knickerbocker Village on Monroe Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. In October 2025, her younger son Wei Hou, 41, moved into her residence. According to prosecutors, the two frequently argued over money. Zhu believed her son was stealing from her to fund a drug habit.
Wei Hou had a prior criminal history including narcotics-related convictions. In the weeks before the killing, tensions in the apartment had escalated. Zhu's older son had visited on December 18, 2025, to repair a bedroom door that Wei had reportedly broken earlier that month.
On December 19, 2025, Zhu Hou's older son returned to the apartment after becoming concerned about her wellbeing. He found her unresponsive inside and contacted police. Responding officers pronounced her dead at the scene.
Authorities determined she had suffered extensive blunt-force trauma including multiple broken ribs, a broken spine, and severe head trauma. Prosecutors allege she was struck in the head with an electric skateboard. Wei Hou was reportedly present in the apartment when officers arrived and was allegedly found sitting on a bed with a methamphetamine pipe nearby.
When NYPD officers responded to the apartment on December 19, 2025, they found Zhu Hou deceased with extensive injuries consistent with a severe beating. Investigators determined she had suffered multiple broken ribs, a broken spine, and severe head trauma. Prosecutors allege she was struck with an electric skateboard that was recovered at the scene.
Wei Hou was found inside the apartment at the time officers arrived, allegedly sitting on a bed with a methamphetamine pipe nearby. The circumstances of his presence and his interactions with police at that time have not been fully detailed in public reporting.
After the killing Wei Hou fled the city. Authorities tracked his movements north toward Albany. The U.S. Marshals Service led the effort to locate and apprehend him. On December 24, 2025, he was found barricaded in a motel room near Albany where he allegedly threatened self-harm before surrendering to authorities.
Wei Hou was transported back to Manhattan and charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail while awaiting trial. His prior criminal history including narcotics-related convictions was noted as part of the case background.
Zhu Hou was 76 years old. She opened her home to her son because that is what mothers do. She gave him a place to stay when he had nowhere to go. In return, prosecutors allege, he beat her to death with a skateboard and left her on the floor of the apartment she had made into a home.
Her older son found her. He had been checking on her out of concern, the same concern that had brought him over just the day before to fix a door his brother had broken. He was the one who called the police. He is the one who has to live with what he found.
Zhu Hou deserved to grow old in peace. She deserved safety in her own home. We will not forget her name.
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