SurrealisticSlumbers
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Lisa Lau Tu
Missing since July 14, 1988
Classification: Involuntary / Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Race: Asian (Lisa was Chinese)
Sex: Female
Age last seen: 42
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Circumstances of Disappearance
Lisa Tu was last seen in Potomac, MD on July 14, 1988. Her common-law husband, Gregory Tu, was sentenced to life in prison for her homicide in 1992 in a no-body homicide ruling. He remains incarcerated, and Lisa's body has never been found.
The prosecution argued that Gregory Tu was troubled by an affair Lisa was having with another man, and was heavily in debt because of business problems and constant gambling. Lisa was financially secure, and the couple's house, which was worth $250,000, was in her name. Although Gregory says he had a good relationship with Lisa at the time of her disappearance, others maintain the couple argued frequently, usually about money, and Lisa was considering kicking him out.
Lisa and Gregory had been living together for ten years prior to her disappearance and referred to each other as husband and wife, but they were not legally married. The state of Maryland does not recognize common-law marriages, so if Lisa decided to end her relationship with Gregory, he would have had no rights to her property.
Mr. Tu had withdrawn $44,000 from the college fund belonging to Lisa's son without her permission five days before she vanished and deposited the money in his own account. Then, two days after Lisa vanished, Gregory Tu allegedly paid a garbage collector to get rid of a loveseat in their residence. It was in good condition, and Lisa often slept on it. It was never found, and is believed to have been pulverized at a landfill.
When investigators searched the Tu home, they found blood in the basement near where the loveseat had been. The area had been cleaned and most of the blood was not visible, but when investigators sprayed Luminol, a chemical used to detect blood traces, they discovered a significant amount of blood in the basement and a blood trail to the bathroom and up the stairs. DNA testing, which was a new technology at the time, proved that the blood was from Lisa. Prosecutors believe he shot Lisa to death as she lay asleep on the loveseat. Gregory owned a Browning .380 pistol which vanished from the home around the same time Lisa did.Police also found a meat cleaver, a knife, twine, and plastic wrap in his Lincoln Town Car. A spot of blood was found on the Lincoln's dashboard.
The defense contended that Tu put his wife on a plane to San Francisco on July 14, 1988 to visit a sick friend, the day after police say she was murdered. Although it was confirmed that a plane ticket in Lisa's name had indeed been purchased, passengers onboard the United Airlines aircraft recalled that her seat was empty. No luggage in her name had arrived in baggage claim. The friend she was supposed to be seeing in San Francisco was in good health and had not seen Lisa in months. When her family did not hear from her for days, then weeks, they found that, in fact, she had never arrived in San Francisco, and her mother and son reported her missing.
Mr. Tu was an immediate suspect, and authorities questioned Gregory persistently about his version of events. He agreed to a polygraph test, before leaving for Las Vegas the very next day before he was due to take it. Finally, in September 1988, Gregory was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with first-degree murder. He was convicted the following year, but the conviction was overturned. He was then retried and convicted of second-degree murder in 1992, six years after Lisa vanished. He is currently serving a life term.
Lisa left behind a son and daughter from a previous relationship.
Missing since July 14, 1988
Classification: Involuntary / Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Race: Asian (Lisa was Chinese)
Sex: Female
Age last seen: 42
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Circumstances of Disappearance
Lisa Tu was last seen in Potomac, MD on July 14, 1988. Her common-law husband, Gregory Tu, was sentenced to life in prison for her homicide in 1992 in a no-body homicide ruling. He remains incarcerated, and Lisa's body has never been found.
The prosecution argued that Gregory Tu was troubled by an affair Lisa was having with another man, and was heavily in debt because of business problems and constant gambling. Lisa was financially secure, and the couple's house, which was worth $250,000, was in her name. Although Gregory says he had a good relationship with Lisa at the time of her disappearance, others maintain the couple argued frequently, usually about money, and Lisa was considering kicking him out.
Lisa and Gregory had been living together for ten years prior to her disappearance and referred to each other as husband and wife, but they were not legally married. The state of Maryland does not recognize common-law marriages, so if Lisa decided to end her relationship with Gregory, he would have had no rights to her property.
Mr. Tu had withdrawn $44,000 from the college fund belonging to Lisa's son without her permission five days before she vanished and deposited the money in his own account. Then, two days after Lisa vanished, Gregory Tu allegedly paid a garbage collector to get rid of a loveseat in their residence. It was in good condition, and Lisa often slept on it. It was never found, and is believed to have been pulverized at a landfill.
When investigators searched the Tu home, they found blood in the basement near where the loveseat had been. The area had been cleaned and most of the blood was not visible, but when investigators sprayed Luminol, a chemical used to detect blood traces, they discovered a significant amount of blood in the basement and a blood trail to the bathroom and up the stairs. DNA testing, which was a new technology at the time, proved that the blood was from Lisa. Prosecutors believe he shot Lisa to death as she lay asleep on the loveseat. Gregory owned a Browning .380 pistol which vanished from the home around the same time Lisa did.Police also found a meat cleaver, a knife, twine, and plastic wrap in his Lincoln Town Car. A spot of blood was found on the Lincoln's dashboard.
The defense contended that Tu put his wife on a plane to San Francisco on July 14, 1988 to visit a sick friend, the day after police say she was murdered. Although it was confirmed that a plane ticket in Lisa's name had indeed been purchased, passengers onboard the United Airlines aircraft recalled that her seat was empty. No luggage in her name had arrived in baggage claim. The friend she was supposed to be seeing in San Francisco was in good health and had not seen Lisa in months. When her family did not hear from her for days, then weeks, they found that, in fact, she had never arrived in San Francisco, and her mother and son reported her missing.
Mr. Tu was an immediate suspect, and authorities questioned Gregory persistently about his version of events. He agreed to a polygraph test, before leaving for Las Vegas the very next day before he was due to take it. Finally, in September 1988, Gregory was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with first-degree murder. He was convicted the following year, but the conviction was overturned. He was then retried and convicted of second-degree murder in 1992, six years after Lisa vanished. He is currently serving a life term.
Lisa left behind a son and daughter from a previous relationship.
Investigating Agency:
Montgomery County Police Dept.
Major Crimes Unit
(240) 773-5070
News Links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...5b2-b45f-ee6859a28f3d/?utm_term=.0ec71bfdcfa1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...137-9fb6-68c19049082e/?utm_term=.d9306cf85903