Sun family slaughter: New arrest in 2014 Houston-area murder case

A man accused of slaughtering a Chinese-American family in their north Harris County home in 2014 has finally been arrested, bringing some closure to friends and law enforcement officers who have been haunted by the troubling case for more than eight years. Harris County sheriff’s deputies found the bodies of Maoye Sun and his wife, Mei Xie, and their two sons, Timothy, 9, and Titus, 7, during a welfare check of their Cole’s Crossing home on Jan. 30, 2014. All four had been shot in the head in separate bedrooms. The slayings initially baffled authorities, who didn't find a firearm in the home. Neighbors hadn't heard any gunshots. Authorities believe the killings took place days before deputies found the bodies of the murdered family. Feng Lu, 58, the man police believe killed the family, was arrested Tuesday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Lu flew on Sunday from China to San Francisco, where Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection agents were waiting for him. Lu is charged with capital murder and in custody in the San Mateo County jail, Gonzalez said. He will be extradited to Texas. “It’s a great relief to finally have a suspect in custody. It’s been a long time coming,” Gonzalez said. “Although their lives can never be replaced, our agency can take pride in delivering solace and peace to those affected by the horrific murders of the Sun family and furthering the cause of defending the rights of these victims. READ MORE: Sun family slaying shakes quiet neighborhood Sun, a natice of China, and his wife were both were both naturalized citizens. They had married in 2000, buying a home together a year later. Sun had studied at the University of Texas at Austin, and worked as a mechanical engineer at Cameron International. Sun's wife took care of the boys, who attended Sampson Elementary School and were members of a community swim team, soccer club, and local Cub Scout pack. When the case first stymied investigators, they ended up offering a $70,000 reward for information. The questions around the case led to theories about whether the case was potentially professional hit — especially after reports from Chinese state media that made their way to the U.S. that a top member of the Chinese Communist part had reportedly confessed to ordering the hit. Nothing worked. The massacre particularly rattled Harris County’s Chinese community, recalled David Cao, a board member of the Houston Chinese Alliance. “There’s still a lot of mystery here,” he said. He had so many questions. “If this guy did it — how dare he come back?” he said. Was Feng in China for all of the past eight years? Had he traveled too and from the U.S, during that time? When had authorities focused on him? “There’s so much we do not know at this moment,” he said. “But I hope justice will be done for this family. I just can’t believe it. How can a human being do this? Wiping out an entire family?” It’s not clear what led to this break in the case, or how investigators tied Lu to the slayings. But a law enforcement source said Lu was an acquaintance of Sun’s through his job. Years later, Stephen Knight recalls Timothy and Titus every time he drives past the family’s house and the two trees planted in honor of the young boys. Back in 2014, he was Packmaster of Cub Scout Pack 1179. Both boys were members. At the time of the killings, the boys were eager to compete in the pack’s Pinewood Derby, where they raced model cars they built. “One weekend they were working on their cars with volunteers,” he said, “and the next weekend, they were gone.” Tuesday’s news brought a small measure of solace. “It’s so cold and calculated,” he said. “It was really awful. I’m glad to know it’s come full circle for the people involved.” Jon Balter coached Timothy’s soccer team. He recalled the rumors, the fear, the theories about the murder being a professional hit. Like Knight and Cao, he was still digesting the news Tuesday. “It’s shocking it took this long, but it shows dedication of the sheriff’s department to follow it through,” he said. “I’m impressed they stuck with it as long as they did. A lot of people give up on things way too easily. It’s a testament to police they would go to that length for this family.” st.john.smith@houstonchronicle.com

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