DA: Lexington man sentenced to life in prison without parole after 2019 murder of his wife

LEXINGTON, Mass. — A Lexington man convicted of murdering his wife in 2019 by strangling her to death has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced Saturday.

On Feb. 3, a jury found Hongyan Sun guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 49-year-old Shen Cai, in Lowell Superior Court. Prosecutors said that Sun and Cai were in the midst of a divorce when she was murdered.

Lexington Police Chief Michael McLean said in a statement that he’s pleased with the verdict and sentencing.

“Although we are pleased with the outcome of the verdict and sentencing in this case, we realize it can never fully heal the pain and trauma suffered by Shen Cai’s friends, family, and the community,” said McLean. “We hope that this small step towards closure can bring some comfort and peace to all those affected by this tragic and senseless crime.”

On May 29, 2019, around 12:30 a.m., Lexington Police responded to Worthen Road and found Cai unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a white Honda CRV a short distance away from the home she shared with her husband. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cai had previously told her friends that she feared for her safety, prosecutors said.

The day after she was found dead, Sun returned to the home, wearing blue hospital clothes, and cuts were visible on his hands.

When approached by reporters outside his home that day, Sun said: “I can’t tell anything. I don’t want to do any more damage to anybody, OK? I don’t know. It’s going to hurt.”

When asked what kind of woman his wife was, Sun said, “She’s (a) great lady. Ok? That’s it. I’m not going to comment on anything at all. She’s (a) great lady. She’s my wife.”

The medical examiner later determined that the cause of Cai’s death was homicide due to mechanical asphyxiation.

Sun later admitted to investigators that he had a physical altercation with his wife the day before and was seen with numerous injuries consistent with a “significant” physical struggle, corresponding to his wife’s injuries, Ryan said.

Release: Middlesex DA, local police investigating the homicide of Lexington woman

Prosecutors said on May 28, 2019, Sun physically assaulted the victim, causing blunt force trauma to numerous parts of her body before he ultimately strangled her to death.

Investigators obtained and executed over 15 search warrants, resulting in the arrest of Sun on June 5, 2019.

After reviewing surveillance video, investigators determined Cai’s vehicle was staged, with her body in the driver’s seat, within a short time window on the morning of May 29, 2019, Ryan said.

Investigators said that Sun went to work late that morning, giving him the opportunity to place his wife’s body inside the Honda CRV, as it was found on the street by their home, Ryan said.

GPS evidence from Sun’s cell phone also placed him at his home and the spot where his wife’s body was found.

Forensic evidence was found at the scene, Sun’s office, and on his wife’s body that also linked him to the crime, Ryan said.

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