Lin Faces Life Sentence For Beating Death Of Wife

Nearly two years after beating his wife to death, Chunping Lin has been convicted of second-degree murder and will face a life sentence in March.

According to published reports, on January 31, a Hillsborough County jury found Chunping Lin guilty for the May 20, 2011, beating of his wife and then-New Tampa restaurant owner, Lixin Tian. Lin, who is now 46, beat Tian, who was 43, in front of their son, who was 10 years old at the time.

Reports say that the six-member jury deliberated for more than 21 hours, listening to 9-1-1 recordings of the struggle that turned violent after an argument about “missing money,” before deciding on the guilty verdict.

Lin was arrested five days after the beating at a neighbor’s residence in the Lake Forest subdivision on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and was charged with attempted murder and battery, as well as child abuse for a laceration to his son’s hand that was sustained during the struggle.

Tian was the owner of the Joy of Tokyo restaurant in the Oak Ramble Plaza on BBD, less than a mile from Lake Forest, in the space that now is occupied by Takara Sushi & Sake Lounge. Tian fell into a coma due to multiple skull fractures and brain trauma. She was removed from life support on July 15, three days after being moved from St. Joseph’s Hospital to Melach Hospice House. Lin’s charges were changed from attempted murder to murder shortly thereafter.No further info was available at our press time