Brothers charged in connection to Fridley murder
Fue Her (left) and Fong Her (right) have been charged in connection to the murder of a St. Paul woman. Photo Courtesy: Anoka County Jail
FRIDLEY, Minn. (KMSP) - Two brothers from Fridley, Minnesota, are charged in connection to the murder of a woman found dead in a vehicle in Columbia Heights.
Fue Her, 35, has been charged with second degree murder for the death of Linda Pa Vue. He had his first appearance on Thursday. The judge set his bail at $1.5 million.
Fue's brother, 33-year-old Fong Her, was charged Friday with aiding an offender after the fact. The judge set his bail at $100,000.
Kong Her, another brother, was originally arrested in the case, but authorities released him from jail and he will not be charged at this time.
According to the criminal complaint, around 12:30 p.m. on New Year's Day, police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in the 4200 block of 5th Street NE in Columbia Heights. When officers arrived, the car was running and a large ice patch was visible under the exhaust pipe. They discovered a dead woman, later identified as Vue, laying in the third row seat.
The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office determined Vue was likely dead for at least 24 hours before officers found her and ruled her death a homicide. She had suffered multiple injuries including blunt force trauma to the head and face, intracranial bleeding, closed head trauma, a liver laceration, trauma to her neck and throat as well as extensive bruising.
In the vehicle, authorities found a jacket covering Vue. In the coat pocket was a recent receipt for a Brooklyn Park hotel for Fue Her. Using the receipt and hotel guest registration information, investigators tracked down his address to a Fridley apartment building, which was about 12 blocks from where they found Vue's body.
Surveillance video from the apartment building showed Fue and Vue walking into the building together and apparently going up the stairs to his apartment on the third floor around 2:45 a.m. on December 31. Around 4 a.m., video captured Fue carrying a "limp, lifeless female body over his shoulder" down the stairs of the apartment building. Later he is seen carrying out multiple plastic bags and a large black plastic bag.
Around 4:54 a.m., Fue called his brother Fong. Cameras showed Fong arriving at the building around 5:45 a.m.
When police executed a search warrant at their apartment, they found items of Fue's clothing which tested positive for blood. When searching the building's dumpster they found multiple plastic bags which contained potentially blood-stained clothing, cleaning supplies, a scrub brush and latex gloves. Inside the bags were also items of mail belonging to Fue and Fong.
Investigators also found a police report from August 2017, in which Vue reported her ex-boyfriend, Fue, was threatening her. She told police said she did not feel safe. She also described his vehicle. That description matched the vehicle she was found dead in.
Fue's next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16. Fong is next expected to appear on Jan. 17. Both are in custody at Anoka County Jail.