Teenage Brothers Slain In Arcadia Remembered At Vigil; Uncle Suspected Of Murder Agrees To Extradition

ARCADIA (CBSLA.com) — Two teenage brothers who were found dead in their Arcadia home Friday were remembered by their classmates and teachers Monday as friendly and social teenagers.

"It's just very sad," Arcadia High School Principal Brent Forsee said. "[They were] very happy, bright, engaged kids. Lots of friends."

A candlelight vigil for the brothers, William and Anthony Lin, was held at 6 p.m. at Arcadia High School. Hundreds of people attended.

"He was very honest. He would always speak out for what's right," William's best friend, Justin Yeung, said at the vigil. "I think he was just a brilliant person."

"It's a little hard to process," said Cathleen Huang, a friend. "I never expected death to strike so close, so quickly."

The brothers, 15 and 16, were found by their parents about 12:40 p.m. Friday. They appeared to have suffered blunt-force trauma and were pronounced dead at he scene, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Eddie Hernandez said.

The boys' 44-year-old uncle, Deyun Shi, is suspected of killing them after becoming enraged that his wife had obtained a restraining order against him and begun divorce proceedings.

Shi, a Chinese national who lives in La Canada Flintridge, is also wanted for a spousal assault that took place 24 hours before the killings.

He fled on a plane to China but was taken into custody by Hong Kong authorities Saturday after landing at Hong Kong International Airport, officials said.

Appearing in Hong Kong's Eastern Court, Shi represented himself, having fired an attorney assigned to him and rejected the offer of legal advice from a free service, the South China Morning Post reported.

Dressed in a gray suit, Shi was given a copy of a brief on the case before he agreed on Monday to return to the United States for prosecution.

He asked at one point if he would have to serve a life prison term if he surrendered to U.S authorities. Chief magistrate Clement Lee Hing-nin replied that he should consult a lawyer.

"So, do you consent to surrender or not?" the magistrate asked.

Shi replied: "I consent, as soon as possible."

He added: "I want to go back to the United States as soon as possible, but I want to be bailed out at the same time. But if my bail application affects my date of return to the U.S. to assist (in the) investigation, I may give up my right to make a bail application."

Shi has indicated that he may apply for bail again at the High Court or review his application at the Eastern Court next Monday.

Shi claimed he made the trip to Hong Kong for business.

China has no extradition treaty with the United States, but since 1998, Hong Kong has allowed the return of fugitives through a mutual legal assistance arrangement with Washington.

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