Man choked and drowned his girlfriend, then stuffed a 4.5 cm golf ball-like object down her throat to ‘fix her jaw’

August 20, 2024 Gloria Shaw

25-year-old Washington State man, Andy Chu, is behind bars after murdering his 25-year-old girlfriend, Zoey Suyun He, in a gruesome way while under the influence of “drugs.”

Chu, faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of Zoey.

The tragic event unfolded on August 10, when neighbors at Chu’s condo noticed water flowing out of his unit and were unable to reach him. Concerned, they called 911, leading Seattle firefighters to enter the condo located in the 3100 block of NE 133rd Street.

Inside the bathroom, firefighters discovered Zoey’s partially nude body on the floor, with an ice pack on her throat and her head supported by a block. Her body was also covered in a granular substance later identified as acai powder.

The probable cause arrest affidavit described the scene, noting that Zoey suffered from severe traumatic injuries to her face, head, neck and chest. The bathroom sink was on full blast, and water was flooding the floor and stairs.

Surveillance footage from a neighbor captured Chu and Zoey arriving at the condo with groceries on the evening of August 9. Chu was later seen leaving the condo alone around 8 a.m. the next day.

Neighbors also observed Chu returning everyone’s trash bins to the property after garbage collection, an unusual behavior for him.

On August 11, officers received a report of a patient at the University of Washington Medical Center in Ballard who had allegedly groped a nurse. That patient turned out to be Chu, who had been taken to the hospital by friends due to his erratic behavior. Once police identified Chu, they brought him to Seattle Police Headquarters for an interview.

During the interview, Chu’s account of events was described as “quite fragmented and difficult to follow.” According to the affidavit, Chu recounted being in a “crisis condition” that caused him to flee his condo.

He recalled choking Zoey, twisting her neck and holding her underwater in the bathtub, believing he may have broken her neck. Chu also described trying to revive Zoey by sprinkling acai powder on her and placing a ball, similar to a golf ball, in her mouth in an attempt to fix her jaw.

When asked why he assaulted Zoey, Chu said she was “acting weird” and attacked him, although he could not clearly describe the attack and denied they were arguing at the time.

Chu admitted to taking two Molly pills, also known as Ecstasy or MDMA, and smoking marijuana. Police noted that Chu had bruises and abrasions on his knuckles, knees, legs and elbows.

Friends who took Chu to the hospital reported that he was “moving his arms and making noises” during his psychotic episode.

An autopsy revealed that Zoey had suffered blunt force trauma across her body, but no fractures were found. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation, noting that a large, smooth, polished white ball, approximately 4.5 cm in diameter, was lodged in her throat, blocking her airway.

In addition to the murder charge, Chu is also facing a battery charge for allegedly groping the nurse. He is currently being held at King County Jail on a $5 million bond.

The victim, Zoey, was just three days shy of her 26th birthday when she was killed. Zoey and Chu attended high school together in Hawaii. Zoey had also worked at the Hawaii State Capitol during the 2022 legislative session.

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The horrific nature of the crime has shocked the community.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesman, Casey McNerthney, said “Some of the details are hard to read, but it was important for King County prosecutors to get before the court. It is exactly the details in the charging documents that made us want to ask for a $5 million bail.”