Husband of woman killed in NYC hammer attack shares heartbreak, as sources reveal possible motive
The husband of a Brooklyn woman bludgeoned to death by a hammer-wielding attacker posted a heartbreaking tribute to his slain wife and pleaded for their two injured kids to pull through — as sources on Thursday revealed there had been simmering tensions between the mom and her accused killer leading up to the horrific crime
“My dear wife, I owe you an apology,” 43-year-old Zhao Zhao’s widower wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform WeChat following the Wednesday afternoon violence in Sunset Park that left her dead and their kids — a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl — fighting for their lives.
“I hope you can bless our child to get through this difficult time. My kids, dad just hopes you can get through this,” added the dad, who wasn’t named, alongside a photo of the couple’s smiling children.
The siblings, who were rushed to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn after the attack, remained in critical condition Thursday.
“The girl has some movement, but the boy is unconscious. He took a good beating, as far as I understand,” State Assemblyman Lester Chang told The Post after speaking to a relative of the family.
The children’s father primarily lives in Ohio, where he works in a restaurant, but comes to the Big Apple to visit his wife and kids at least once a month, neighbors told The Post.
He appeared to have been out of town when the family’s roommate, Liyong Ye, 47, allegedly took a hammer to the woman and her kids inside their cramped apartment just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Cops haven’t revealed a motive for the attack, but law enforcement sources said the accused killer and victim had been fighting over the use of the shared kitchen and Wi-Fi, as well as noise complaints.
They had lived together for years in the three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment and their frustrations had been building, the sources added.
Ye — who is charged with murder and attempted murder — occupied one of the bedrooms with his 9-year-old son. The slain woman and her family lived in another room and the third was being rented by a single tenant.
The owner of the apartment didn’t live there, according to Chang, though the assemblyman said it is common practice in such situations for one tenant to be the designated rent collector.
The alleged attacker — who had blood on him — was nabbed Wednesday afternoon trying to walk out of the apartment building on 52nd Street by officers responding to a 911 call of an “assault in progress,” police said.
He quickly lawyered up and didn’t make any statements to cops after his arrest, according to sources.
Ye, who was taken to Maimonides Medical Center early Thursday after telling cops he was feeling faint, didn’t utter a word when he was later perp-walked from the 72nd Precinct station house ahead of his pending arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
He has no prior arrests and doesn’t appear to have a history of mental health issues, according to cops.
Chang, who represents New York’s 49th State Assembly district covering Sunset Park, added that the accused killer appears to be mentally stable and “is not an alcoholic, but does drink when he is home.”
Harrowing footage viewed by The Post showed cops carrying the bloodied kids out of the apartment Wednesday before the children were rushed to the hospital.
A bloody hammer was later recovered inside the building, cops said.
Shocked neighbors described the horror, telling The Post the children were “covered from head to toe, everything was blood.”
“I heard the sirens, so I just came out to see what was going on, and at the same time I saw the two police officers, each carrying a bloody baby in his arms and then putting it in the ambulance,” said Kokila Frank, 69, a retired librarian, who lives across the street.
“Just two or three days ago we saw the kids playing, and then this happens,” Frank added. “Don’t do this to babies, not to anyone, but especially babies. It’s sad.”
Additional reporting by Kyle Schnitzer, Amanda Woods and Joe Marino
