A devastating murder-suicide in Queens on Saturday night has shattered two families and left an entire community in shock. The fatal violence stemmed from a love triangle that had turned ugly, law enforcement said, involving a teenage boy, a U.S. Marine, and a 19-year-old woman who had been romantically involved with both of the dead.
The NYPD responded to gunfire reports just after 10 p.m. in the quiet neighborhood of Bayside, at the intersection of Oceania Street and 47th Avenue. When officers arrived, they found 17-year-old Neo Secaira shot in the chest. Nearby lay 28-year-old Frank Liu, a United States Marine who had recently been called back to duty, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The victims were both taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The violence erupted, police say, when Liu learned that the woman he had been dating was also seeing Secaira. Liu, who was experiencing substantial emotional distress, confronted the younger man as the woman watched in horror, sources familiar with the case told investigators. The Marine reportedly shot Secaira before shooting himself.
The 19-year-old woman, who has not been named publicly, reportedly saw the entire incident take place. The investigation includes continued interviews with her, according to authorities.
Huili Liu, Liu's father, told reporters on Sunday that his son had long suffered from trauma stemming from his military service. "My son had psychological treatment while he served in the Marine Corps," he said. "He had been particularly troubled recently because some of his fellow Marines were killed while stationed in Jordan."
The older Liu said his son had met the young woman when he was in North Carolina and later brought her to New York. "She stayed with us for probably six months," he said. "Then one day she told him that she was also seeing another man — the boy."
Whatever the case, the news devastated Mr. Liu's son. "I said, 'Why are you getting mad? She is just one girl. There are so many girls in this world." "But he was heartbroken," the father said.
It is not clear when Secaira and the woman started their relationship, but it seemed tensions had been flaring up in the days before the fatal confrontation.
In an emotional moment, Secaira's mother, Yolanda Secaira, said she had learned about her son's death in a disrespectful manner. A woman — thought to be Liu's mother — knocked on her door early Sunday morning, she said.
"She said to me, 'Does your son have curly hair?' When I said yes she said, 'My son killed your son,' " Yolanda recalled tearfully. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing."
Yolanda, 50, also reported that her son received a call that evening from the young woman, asking him to come pick her up. He had left work early to go to meet her and was shot soon after arriving.
The building superintendent at Liu's apartment complex described him as emotionally unsteady. "He lived with his parents for many years," said the super, who requested anonymity. "One time his girlfriend locked herself out of the apartment. She called him, and he yelled at me because I didn't help her fast enough — even though she was in the wrong building, actually."
"There was drama with him always," the superintendent added. He was troubled. Young and still angry at the world."
The victims' families and the community have also said the events were deeply disturbing. Jennie Kim, who lived nearby, said she heard the shots from inside her home. "I heard three shots, and then a woman scream, 'Help, help!' " Kim said. "My daughter was frightened. We looked out and saw a young woman, perhaps in high school or college. After a brief interval we heard another gunshot."
The NYPD did not release the names of the people involved and said the investigation would continue. Police have not yet confirmed the complete timeline and what precisely occurred in the closing moments.
The violent confrontation has shaken the tranquil Bayside community, where tragedies like this are rare. As neighbors ponder how an ordinary evening shifted to a scene of heartbreak and death.
Authorities are calling on anyone with more information to step forward. Meanwhile, two families are now grieving — one for a son who died in a fit of jealousy and one for a son who died carrying the wounds of war and personal devastation.
