barbara

Barbara Wu, a 21-year-old undergraduate student at UC Riverside was recently charged with five counts of felony including solicitation of murder. Wu allegedly asked boyfriend Dennis Lin to kidnap, harm and kill one of her ex-boyfriends.

“She wanted me to tie him up, use a bat to break his legs, kill him, then discard the body,” Lin stated in a criminal report. “She wanted us to leave the country after we did all of this to him.”

According to the report, Lin and Wu had a tumultuous relationship. Lin accused Wu of verbally and physically abusing him on multiple occasions. In one instance, Wu reportedly slapped Lin three times during a confrontation between the two.

Eventually Lin visited the sexual harassment department on campus and revealed his situation to one of the department’s staff members. Upon learning of the case, the staff member contacted the UCR Police Department and notified them of the situation.

The UCPD investigated the report and proceeded to set up “a sting operation” in which Lin would secretly record his conversations with Wu. The investigation indicated that Wu had indeed asked Lin to harm and kill her ex-boyfriend. After receiving sufficient information to pursue an arrest, the police took Wu into custody on May 23.

“We are grateful to the staff member and to the students who helped police investigate,” stated UCPD Chief of Police Mike Lane in a press release. “It is a good sign that this campus community takes safety seriously and has good protocols and resources in place.”

Wu was arrested on suspicion of soliciting to commit murder. Three other felony charges were filed against her including stalking, vandalism and dissuading a witness. On June 11 she pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Lin filed a restraining order against Wu on May 24, seeking protection for him and his three roommates. “I am worried that she is now going to come after me because I helped the police,” he said.

Wu remains behind bars with bail set at $500,000 and is due in court on July 9 for a court settlement hearing.