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The pair were seen in surveillance footage together shortly before firefighters responding to a flooded apartment made a gruesome discovery; the victim reportedly had a "white ball lodged in her throat," as graphic details are revealed.
A Hawaiian woman visiting her boyfriend in Washington State is dead and he's the prime suspect in her murder, after authorities responding to a flooded townhouse made a horrific discovery.
25-year-old Andy Chu has been arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of girlfriend Zoey He, also 25. Her body was discovered by firefighters on August 10, around 10:30am, after neighbors called authorities about water coming out Chu's Lake City apartment.
The victim was found in the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of red underwear, according to charging docs obtained by TooFab, with an ice pack on her throat and a "dark granular substance" later identified as Acai powder all over her body. Her head was reportedly supported by a block, while she was posed in a "butterfly position"; she also suffered "severe traumatic assault" to face, neck, chest and head. The sink was running "full blast."
It's unclear when exactly He was killed -- but Ring footage from a neighbor reportedly shows the two arriving back to the townhouse with groceries around 4:45pm on August 9. Chu was then seen leaving solo around 8am the next morning.
In the early morning hours of August 11, police discovered Chu's whereabouts after he allegedly groped a nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center. He had reportedly been taken there by his friends after exhibiting "psychotic behavior." Officers then realized "he was the wanted person in the homicide investigation" and Chu was taken in for questioning.
According to the charging docs, Chu "self-described a crisis condition he found himself in which caused him to retreat from his condo," telling authorities a version of events they said was "quite fragmented and difficult to follow at times" as the suspect wasn't sure what was "reality or not."
He allegedly told cops the victim -- who he had been dating since January -- was visiting from Hawaii. When asked why he assaulted her, he allegedly said he was unclear but claimed she was "acting weird" and attacked him. He reportedly couldn't describe the attack, however, and denied they were fighting. He also told cops he "thought he may have killed her."
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View Story"He said he has memory of choking her, twisting her neck, holding her down under the water in the tub. He said he thought he broke her neck," said police, who claimed Chu also recalled taking the victim out of the bathtub and placing her on the floor.
"He then tried a number of things to revive her including sprinkling the Acai powder all over her, placing a ball similar to a golf ball in her mouth to fix her jaw," according to docs.
Chu also allegedly told police he had taken MDMA and smoked marijuana before He's death, which medical examiners later determined was due to asphyxiation. He told authorities that while he usually takes one pill of MDMA, this time he took two.
One of the friends who dropped him at the hospital was also interviewed and said the suspect was "in some sort of crisis," adding he was "moving his arms and making noises."
The suspect is facing a first-degree murder charge, as well as a battery charge for the alleged assault of the nurse. He's being held at the King County Jail on $5 million bond and is due back in court on August 28.
