Slain teens' father testifies against brother-in-law

The father of two Arcadia teens beaten to death in their home in 2016 broke down during his testimony Friday in the murder trial of his former brother-in-law.

Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri had been asking David Wei Lin about how he came to the United States, how he met his wife, when his sons, Anthony and William, were born and the time his wife found a house for his sister but his brother-in-law, Deyun Shi, wanted another real estate agent. Lin answered in a soft-spoken voice until he was asked, “Are William and Anthony alive today?”

Lin said something loudly in Chinese and hit the witness stand with his hand. Judge Jared Moses sent the jury to another room and called for a break. Shi, who kept his eyes down, looked like he was crying or about to cry. A deputy handed him a tissue.

The judge told Lin if it is too much for him, he could say he needs a break. Lin apologized.

“We will work with you to get through this,” Moses said. “You don't have to apologize.”

Later, when Lin returned to the witness stand, he was asked again if his sons are alive.

“No they're not! They're not! They're not!” Lin shouted and wept.

The jurors left the courtroom for another break.

Shi attacked his estranged wife, Amy Lin, with a maul leaving her injured at their home on Vista Miguel Drive in La Cañada Flintridge the night of Jan. 21, 2016, according to Teymouri. Shi then drove to his brother-in-law's townhouse in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue in Arcadia where he beat his nephews, 15-year-old Anthony Lin with a bolt cutter, and 16-year-old William Lin with a bolt cutter and a pipe, the prosecutor said.

While in an ambulance, Amy Lin called her brother but couldn't reach him. She got a hold of her sister-inlaw. The couple went to the hospital and left their children in the townhouse.

After the fatal beating, the prosecution said Shi headed to LAX, then took a flight to Hong Kong, where

authorities detained him.

Shi, now 52, is charged with two counts of murder and injuring a spouse. He also is charged with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and the allegations that he personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a bolt cutter, to commit the murders, inflicted great bodily injury on his wife under circumstances involving domestic violence and personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a maul, in the attack on his wife.

He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

David Lin testified that Shi really disliked his mother but could not recall Shi telling him any particular reasons why.

He described Shi as having a really bad temper and pointed to an incident that occurred at his mother's home. David Lin was not present then.

He was told Shi spat and it landed on Amy Lin's face. He also insulted their mother, he added.

David Lin talked to Shi and warned him to stop insulting his mother and not to spit at his sister's face.

“His response was terrible. He said he would harm my sister more,” David Lin said.

Amy Lin testified that after she was discharged from the hospital in the early morning hours of Jan. 22, 2016, her brother drove her and her sister-in-law to the couple's town house on Fairview Avenue in Arcadia. They spotted what looked like Shi's GMC Yukon without license plates parked on Fairview Avenue.

Amy Lin took a photo and dialed 911. While on hold, the Yukon drove off.

They decided to check on their mother, who also lived in Arcadia, she said. They then went to a pharmacy to get medicine for Amy Lin. It was there where David Lin saw an officer in the parking lot and told him about the vehicle.

They arrived at the townhouse about 4:30 a.m. and entered through the garage. Amy Lin said it was very dark. No one turned on the lights, she added.

She stayed on the couch on the first floor and the couple went upstairs. She didn't enter her nephews' rooms. Several hours later, she and her brother went to their mother's to see if she was all right.

David Lin took Amy Lin and their mother to have breakfast then they went to an attorney. Her brother told her one of the attorney's partners is a criminal attorney. Their next stop was the Sheriff's Crescenta Valley Station.

When they were about to leave the station, she said her sister-in-law called her brother.

“He fell against the wall and said, `He killed my son,' ” Amy Lin said.

David Lin continues his testimony Monday in Alhambra Superior Court.