06.20.04 Priscilla Ng Murdered In A Home
Invasion
HILLSBOROUGH
Woman, 58, IDd as victim in home invasion
2 Asian men sought; Hillsborough police say little on
killing
Demian Bulwa, Kelly St. John, Chronicle Staff Writers
Monday, June 21, 2004
Authorities identified on Sunday a woman slain in a
brutal home- invasion attack in Hillsborough as a
58-year-old mother named Priscilla Ng.
Police in the tony enclave were tight-lipped about the
crime Sunday, saying they know of no clear motive for
the assault, which occurred early Saturday morning in
Ng's sprawling brick home. Police said they were
searching for "two Asian male subjects" in connection
with the crime and no arrests had been made.
Intruders entered Ng's home at 2545 Butternut Drive
about 4 a.m. and assaulted Ng and an acquaintance,
Andrew Chang, in the home's master bedroom, Hillsborough
police Capt. Mark O'Connor said in a statement.
Nearly three hours after the intruders reportedly
entered the home, Chang phoned 911 at 6:52 a.m. to
report he had been robbed and stabbed, police said. When
authorities arrived, they found Ng suffering from severe
injuries, and she died at the scene.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday, but the cause of death
was not released pending further investigation, said San
Mateo County coroner's investigator Felipe Fernandez.
After the attack, Chang was transported to a local
hospital, where he told investigators that "two Asian
male subjects" had committed the assault, O'Connor said.
Authorities initially reported that Ng's 13-year-old
daughter might have been abducted and issued a statement
Saturday afternoon saying she may have been taken from
the home by her father, Stephen Ng, in his Lexus. No
mention was made at the time of the homicide.
The girl "was later found to be well and in the safe
custody of her father," O'Conner said in the statement
released Sunday. Police offered no further information
about the bulletin.
According to property records, Priscilla and Stephen Ng
had purchased the 5,480-square-foot home on Butternut --
which has seven bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms
-- in 1994 for $1,125,000. The couple -- who owned other
properties together -- have been in divorce proceedings
since 1999. According to court records, they were
scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a hearing.
Stephen Ng, contacted at his home in a different
Hillsborough neighborhood Sunday, declined to talk about
the situation.
"Not at this time," he said, in a soft, somber voice. "I
have to take care of my daughter."
Unlike many other homes on the block, Priscilla Ng's
home is not ringed by an electronic gate. On Sunday, the
red brick and peach-colored house was quiet, with just a
few cars parked out front. Meanwhile, police officers
spent much of the late afternoon combing the bushes in
front of the house.
Residents of the wealthy Peninsula enclave were shaken
by news of a home- invasion killing, especially because
violent crime in Hillsborough is so rare.
The last high-profile slaying in Hillsborough was the
1998 kidnap and murder of Sharon Leuenberger, by a man
who once worked as a house cleaner for her.
In what authorities described as a botched kidnapping
for ransom, Leuenberger was raped and smothered, and
then the van containing her body was set afire. Ciriaco
Valencia, now 28, was convicted of the crime in 2002 and
is serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Outside Ng's Butternut home Sunday, neighbor Monica
Hermes -- a 37-year- old accounting assistant on a walk
-- said she hoped the killing wasn't a random act of
violence.
"If it was random, that's pretty scary," Hermes said.
She said residents on Butternut who live in multimillion
dollar homes do not socialize with each other. She said
she doesn't know the names of any of her neighbors, and
she has lived here since 1986.
"Sometimes nosy neighbors are good, but we don't have
that here," Hermes said.
Across the street from Ng's house, Yashar Erler, a
54-year-old civil and structural engineer who also works
as a real estate agent, was conducting an open house.
Erler is trying to sell his 5,000-square-foot villa with
five bedrooms, three and a half baths, bay views, three
fireplaces, and a tennis court for about $2.8 million.
Erler said he considered calling off the open house
because of the slaying, but he said hopefully "sometimes
people come just for curiosity."
"This is one of the safest neighborhoods in the entire
Bay Area," said Erler, as he set off to post an open
house sign at the curb. "And one of the best and top
locations."
Daughter Confirms Reward in
Ng Killing
Posted June 17, 2005 at 6:45 p.m.
HILLSBOROUGH (KRON) -- The daughter
of murdered Hillsborough Real Estate
agent Priscila Ng is offering $1
Million for information leading
police to her mother's killers.
KRON 4's Vic Lee broke the story of
the reward on Thursday. Doris Ng,
who lives in Europe, returned to the
Bay Area Friday to make the official
announcement of her reward.
Ng says she's prayed for a year that
police would make arrests in the
case. Hillsborough police officials
say they have a wealth of evidence
recovered from the crime scene but
so far that evidence has not led
them to the killers.
It was June 19th of last year when
police say two Asian men entered the
Ng home, tied up Ng and her house
guest Andrew Chang, and taped their
faces. It appears Ng suffocated from
the tape.
Police say Priscila Ng's ex-husband
Steven is not a suspect in the case.
That's despite the fact a long legal
battle over the couple's assets
ended the day before the murder.
Ng's 13 year old daughter happened
to be visiting Steven Ng's house on
the night of the killing.
The Hillsborough police tip line is
650-375-7473. They'll accept calls
in Mandarin and Cantonese as well.
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