SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Las Vegas man charged with killing one man and injuring five others at a Laguna Woods church made his first in-person appearance in an Orange County courtroom Friday, nearly a month after allegedly carrying out a rampage that authorities say was driven by yearslong hatred of Taiwanese people.
David Wenwei Chou is charged with special circumstances murder for allegedly lying in wait before killing Dr. John Cheng on May 15, along with five counts of attempted murder for other parishioners who were wounded and four counts of unlawful possession of explosives for bringing what authorities called “Molotov cocktail-like devices” to Geneva Presbyterian Church.
Chou, wearing a jail uniform and a mask, appeared alert as he stood in a holding cage within a Santa Ana courtroom.
Before the hearing, he spoke with his court-appointed attorney through a Mandarin-language interpreter, nodding his head at times during their conversation. He spoke only briefly during the hearing itself, confirming to the judge through the interpreter that he understood his legal rights.
Chou did not enter a plea, and his arraignment was continued until Aug. 19. He is being held without bail.
The special circumstances murder charge against Chou – who authorities allege was driven by deep-seated, politically motivated hate – makes him eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors will at some point decide whether to pursue capital punishment or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In his initial court appearance, two days after the shooting, Chou appeared in a proceeding via an audio feed from jail.
Chou is accused of bringing a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol to the church and magazines of ammunition and the incendiary devices with him, and deploying padlocks, Super Glue and nails to seal most of the doors to a dining hall being used by the congregation of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian.
A guest sermon was followed that day by a lunch. After hours among the mostly senior citizen parishioners, Chou is accused of pulling out a gun and firing.
As parishioners fell to the floor or tried to escape, Cheng rushed Chou, who shot the doctor before his gun apparently jammed, witnesses would say. Cheng’s actions allowed the pastor time to hit Chou with a chair and for others to get his gun, witnesses said, and he was hogtied until deputies arrived.
Taiwanese news organizations have reported that the suspect was born in Taiwan. He had worked as a security guard in Nevada.
Authorities have said he did not have direct ties to the Orange County congregation.
Investigators discovered notes in Chou’s car indicating he hated the Taiwanese people and was upset over the tension between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, the Orange County sheriff has said.
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