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Newton woman charged with killing man who discovered she was forging checks from him, police say

A Newton woman faces arraignment today on charges she beat a 65-year-old man to death in his Mount Vernon Terrace home after he learned she was stealing money from him, then wrapped his body in a curtain and covered it with construction material in a vain attempt to hide the crime, police say.

Xiu Fang Ke, 43, was arrested after police, responding to a request from Leonard Garber's family yesterday, checked his house and found his wrapped body. This was the police's second visit to the home; family members had initially called Monday seeking a well being check, but responding officers did not locate him them, police say.

According to police and the Middlesex County District Attorney's office:

Police determined that Garber had allegedly been spending time with a female former tenant, later identified as Xiu Fang Ke.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the defendant had allegedly been forging checks from the victim’s accounts and had allegedly stolen over $40,000. When the victim became aware of the theft, he confronted the defendant and she allegedly struck and killed him and then attempted to hide the body.

Police reviewed financial records and surveillance footage from Mr. Garber’s home that allegedly showed an Asian female, later identified as the defendant, entering the victim’s home in the days prior to his body being located.

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in a statement:

I want to begin by saying to the family of Leonard Garber, I personally express my condolences and I also speak for the people of Newton when I say our hearts and prayers are with you.

Mr. Garber was a member of our community. He attended synagogue here; he had friends and neighbors who knew and cared about him. You, too, are in our thoughts, especially in this period of repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The alleged perpetrator is also known in our community, and I want to acknowledge as well that this is a disturbing and difficult time for those who know her.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

The alleged perpetrator is also known in our community, and I want to acknowledge as well that this is a disturbing and difficult time for those who know her.

I mean, are we to give sympathies with the family of every (alleged) murderer?

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The way it's worded, it sounds more like an acknowledgement that the alleged crime is a particularly psychopathic sorta thing to do, and it probably is really fucking with people who knew her. It's gonna hit differently than knowing that someone you know punched someone in a fight and they bled out or something.

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Unless their families were involved with or complicit in the crime, they are also victims of the criminal's actions. They didn't commit a crime, and yet they are impacted by the crime.

This shit tears families and family members apart. You might know and understand that if this shit ever happened to your family.

There but for the grace of God, etc. ...

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But let me give you a counter. In 2010, Richel Nova, a Dominos delivery guy, was robbed and shot to death by 4 teenagers in Hyde Park (I run by the crime scene on a regular basis.) It was a tragedy by any measure. That said, if Mayor Menino noted that the 4 suspects were members of the community and that we should acknowledge that those who know them are having a hard time he would have been ridiculed mercilessly.

And for that matter, how much sympathy have you given the Bulger family over the years? Or the Remy family? Probably not too much. There but for the grace of God, no?

Talking about the murder of an individual is not the best time to send best wishes to those who know the alleged assailant. Nothing against them, and yes, they probably need some kind of support, but it's not the best time to note that.

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That street really needs to be repaved

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Top notch.

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and so I face, the final curtain

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