MONTEREY PARK : Suspect Booked for Murder of Man, Kidnap of Woman

A man suspected of stabbing a man to death before abducting his wife for ransom was arrested Wednesday after detectives tapped a phone line and rescued the woman, sheriff’s deputies said.

Jian Bin Chen, 25, was booked on suspicion of murder and kidnaping in the death of Le Ping Ying, 51, and the abduction of Dong Ling Cai, 45, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Benita Hinojos.

Chen was held without bail in the jail ward at County-USC Medical Center, where he was being treated for injuries he apparently suffered during the attack on Ying, Hinojos said.

Chen rented a room three months ago in the victims’ condominium on Lincoln Avenue in Monterey Park, Hinojos said. She said that shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Chen stabbed Ying while trying to rob him, Hinojos said.

“Either before or after the stabbing, Dong Cai returned home and was confronted by the suspect, who bound, gagged and abducted her, using her vehicle,” Hinojos said.

A short time later, the suspect allegedly telephoned the woman’s brother and demanded money for her safe return. Alerted by the family, detectives from the Sheriff’s Department placed a tap on the brother’s telephone. After more calls were received from the suspect, detectives arrested him at a pay phone in the 3100 block of San Gabriel Boulevard, where he was holding the woman at knifepoint, Hinojos said.

The woman was unhurt, detectives said.