A California man has been charged with murder after allegedly attacking his estranged wife with a machete and dumbbells inside a San Jose home, then photographing and recording her as she lay injured, according to police and court documents.
Shede Mao, 55, is accused of killing his 49-year-old estranged wife early Monday morning following months of disputes between the couple. He is being held without bail in Santa Clara County.
According to court documents obtained by Law&Crime, Mao “took two photographs” and “took two video recordings” of the victim while she was “bloodied and injured” on the ground after the alleged attack.
Police and prosecutors said Mao “macheted his estranged wife to death” after the couple had repeatedly argued over the previous several months. The woman told Mao earlier this year that she intended to divorce him during one of their disagreements, and tensions between them continued to escalate, the documents allege.
A person described in the court records as a “roommate/coworker” told investigators that the couple was seen arguing on Sunday evening, June 14, at a shopping center, according to The Mercury News.
“He described Shede and [the victim] at each other’s face during the argument,” the court documents say.
At approximately 12:45 a.m. Monday, the woman contacted a female friend by phone and text after Mao allegedly attacked her. The friend told police she received an image showing the woman injured and lying on the ground.
The friend “observed a photograph where [the victim] was on the ground, bloody and with visible injuries,” according to the documents. “She also saw a text message with a location ‘drop-pin,'” according to the documents.
Investigators said the friend repeatedly called the phones belonging to Mao and the victim. Mao eventually answered one of the calls and allegedly asked the friend to contact emergency services.
While speaking to Mao, the friend told investigators that she heard the injured woman asking for assistance. “Help,” the victim allegedly said, according to the court documents.
“She heard [the victim] refer to Shede as ‘husband’ and requested something to drink,” the documents say. “Shede responded that he was not her husband.”
Officers with the San Jose Police Department were sent to the home and discovered the woman “dead in a blood-spattered room,” according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Police said Mao walked outside as officers arrived. He was allegedly covered in blood and holding his mobile phone.
Inside the home, investigators found extensive bloodstains in a bedroom. The ceiling light fixture, a door, an adjoining wall and the carpet were all “stained with blood,” according to the court records.
Officers also recovered a large machete with a “blood-stained blade” and two “blood-stained dumbbell free weights,” the documents state. The victim suffered severe injuries to her head and face, as well as cuts to her right hand and a severed finger, police said.
Investigators later conducted a forensic review of Mao’s phone. The examination allegedly uncovered the photographs and video recordings he had taken while the woman remained on the ground, “bloodied and injured.”
Authorities have not publicly identified the victim in the available court records. Mao has been charged with murder in Santa Clara County. The allegations against him have not yet been proven in court, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Online court records show that he remains in custody without bail. He is scheduled to return to court on July 30 for a plea hearing.