A Potomac man has been charged with trying to kill his wife after Montgomery County police say he tried to smother her with a pillow, pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her.
Allen Shenshiann Yao, 84, of New London Drive, is accused of trying to kill his wife in their home on Wednesday by smothering her with a pillow, according to charging documents. Police also said Yao assaulted his wife, pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her a few days before that.
According to charging documents, Yao’s wife told police that about two weeks ago, he started to hit her after noticing a cooked chicken was missing from their refrigerator. She called police and officers came to the home, but didn’t arrest anyone.
Yao’s wife told police that her husband has a history of abusing her, documents state.
Documents state that on April 25, Yao woke his wife up while she was sleeping, pointed what he said was a loaded handgun at her and threatened to kill her. Yao also told her that he would put her in a bathtub and “use chemicals to make her disappear,” documents state.
On Wednesday, according to documents, Yao woke his wife up again and threatened to kill her before pressing a pillow over her face and applying his body weight. She told police that after an hourlong struggle, she fled the house through a back door and went to a neighbor’s house.
Yao’s wife was treated for her injuries at Shady Grove Hospital and later spoke with detectives from the police department’s domestic violence unit.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Yao on Thursday charging him with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts each of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and false imprisonment.
Yao is being held without bond, State’s Attorney’s Office spokesman Ramon Korionoff wrote in an email Friday. Attorney information was not available Friday.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
