A recent matricide case in Manhattan’s Chinatown has sparked strong societal attention. According to reports from The New York Post, a man with a history of multiple offenses and suspected of having schizophrenia, who had been sentenced to two years in state prison for a serious drug offense last year, was released early after participating in a 90-day drug rehabilitation program. Approximately two months after his release, he was allegedly involved in the killing of his 76-year-old mother with a blunt weapon, sending shockwaves through the community.
Officials stated that the suspect, Wei Hou (41 years old), was sentenced in June 2025 and was supposed to be incarcerated until 2027 according to the original sentencing. However, he was later transferred to the Lakeview Shock Incarceration facility in Chautauqua County, upstate New York, for short-term intensive drug rehabilitation and disciplinary training. He completed the program on October 14 of the same year and was granted parole to return home. By mid-December, he was accused of killing his mother, Zhu Hou, inside their Monroe Street apartment.
Numerous law enforcement sources expressed shock at the incident, believing that the suspect’s criminal and mental health background should have precluded his entry into any program that could significantly shorten his sentence. An informant familiar with the facility’s operations pointed out that Lakeview was originally designed to rehabilitate first-time offenders, not those with prior convictions or mental illnesses, raising questions about potential flaws in the relevant screening procedures.
Reports revealed that Wei Hou had a long history of mental illness, with emotional dysregulation documented as early as his hospitalization in the psychiatric ward of Bellevue Hospital in 2011. Prior to her tragic death, his mother had sought help from the authorities twice: once before his incarceration and once after his release. In February 2025, she had called the police reporting that her son was not taking his medication on time and was emotionally unstable. On December 5 of the same year, she called the police again, stating that her son was banging on doors, talking to himself, and had a history of drug abuse. The police had taken him to seek medical attention, but the subsequent treatment and discharge status remain unclear.
The suspect was arrested on December 24 on charges of murder. The police confirmed that he had been arrested in other states in the past but did not disclose further details.