The dark side of social media | Forensic Files

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[Music] thank you shortly before 3pm on Saturday January 14 2012 the doorbell rang at the Howe
family home 49 year old Chun Nam answered it standing on his doorstep was a teenage
boy whom Chun Nam didn't recognize it seemed reasonable to assume he had come to see one of Chun nam's two
children when asked who he was looking for the boy explained that he wanted to speak to
Vinci Vinci was Chun nam's 15 year old daughter Chun Nam called for Vinci who appeared
at the top of their staircase she said she would speak with the boy Chun Nam retreated to the kitchen to
prepare dinner leaving Vinci and her male guest alone moments later Chun Nam heard Vincy cry
out in pain and he rushed back into the foyer he was immediately struck in the face
with a knife leaving a bleeding gash across his right cheek Chun Nam raised his hands for protection
while simultaneously trying to fight off his assailant the commotion alerted Chun nam's 12 year
old son who rushed in to find his father grappling with the teenage boy holding a
knife the teen managed to stab Chun Nam several more times in the face head and arms before flaying out the front door
lying nearby at the base of the stairs was Vinci her face was covered in blood foreign
[Music] she was a popular Secondary School student with an active social life into
many friends in her Spare Time Vinci visited herself with a variety of hobbies including
dancing for a street crew learning piano and playing chess Vincy had adopted the Western name Joyce
but her family still referred to her by her Chinese Heritage name Vinci while she Drew friends from diverse
circles Vincy mostly gravitated towards other teenagers of Chinese descent like her
reports of the attack on Vinci and her father spread quickly online many of Vinci's friends learned of her
ordeal through social media as Vinci and Chun Nam were rushed to hospital police worked swiftly to track
down their attacker Vinci's brother was able to provide a description several of the Howe family's neighbors
had seen the blood-soaked teen fleeing the area within two hours of the attack police
tracked the boy down to a street north of where the house lived he was hiding in some bushes and refused
to give himself up the police fired a single gunshot into the air as a warning prompting the teen
to surrender the offender was a 14 year old from Capel and air isil about two hours West
of varnum as he was a miner at the time he has never been fully publicly identified
in reports he was only referred to as yinwa k yinwa had been kicked out of school five
months earlier and already had a criminal record for two property offenses investigators determined that yinwa and
DaVinci Hower were not friends but they were superficially acquainted they shared the same Social Circles and
were known to have attended at least one Gathering Together months earlier a photograph taken at this party showed
yinwa pulling a funny face two girls stood on either side of him one was Vinci Howe
inwa eventually confessed to stabbing Vincy and her father it took a while longer to establish why
inwa finally admitted that the attack wasn't his idea he had been recruited to kill Vincy by a
17 year old reported as Wesley C Wesley was also Chinese Dutch and lived in Rotterdam
when interviewed Wesley denied knowing yinwa or having any involvement in the attack
in all neither yinwa nor Wesley were particularly helpful to the police investigators combed through the two
boys social media hoping to establish a connection between them they eventually came across a
conversation between the pair on the Telecommunications app Skype the day before Vinci and her father were
attacked Wesley and yinwa had exchanged a series of messages Wesley told yinwa tomorrow you will do
it yinwa responded okay man is good Wesley then provided yinwa with specific instructions on how to carry out the
stabbing before stating you have the address you know where to be she has piano lessons at 2PM so you
have to go at 3 pm [Music] responded okay if her parents are home should I take them with me
Wesley's final message read yes that's okay recovered from his injuries and was released from hospital
but his daughter was in a dire state Vinci had sustained several deep stab wounds to her face and neck
five days after the attack she died the next day 600 mourners marched through the city silently alongside of
Vinci's family in a show of support the route took them past their house home where a large collection of flowers
and soft toys had been placed in honor of Vinci at the end of the March a representative
of the Howe family thanked the crowd Vince's murder was described by her loved ones as incomprehensible
they asked how could boys aged 14 and 17 without any relation to finzi commit such a
heinous act on an innocent and defenseless 15 year old girl what could be the motive
the family also made it clear that in these circumstances they viewed a Dutch punishment for juveniles as inadequate
they called for yinwar and Wesley to be tried as adults stating that anyone who could commit such a bloody and
premeditated act of violence was no longer a child the following weekend Vinci's friends
held a small gathering of Their Own they let Chinese lanterns and released them into the night sky
one of the attendees filmed part of the service the footage captured Vinci's 16 year old
best friend Polly saying goodbye to Vinci but it was the tone of her voice that stood out
instead of speaking with sadness Polly sounded noticeably gleeful [Music] on a November night eight weeks before
finzy Howe was attacked she attended a party at a local pool center with her best friend Polly
during the course of the evening Vinci became increasingly irritated at Polly's Behavior
she felt Polly was being flirtatious and conceded with her new boyfriend Wesley [Music]
Vincy vented about this to some of the other girls in her Friendship Circle when Polly caught wind of Vince's
complaints an argument broke out between them everyone at the party saw the fight
it started with the pair shouting and swearing at each other before turning physical
eventually the two girls were pulled apart and they went their separate ways Days Later Polly posted something on her
Facebook page that Vincy took issue with when Vincy commented oh my God how can you be
Polly didn't respond to Vince's comment though one of their mutual friends replied
Vincy you have to be careful how you talk and you better learn from your mistakes
another friend wrote make Vincy stop because otherwise something serious will happen
[Music] while Polly didn't display any animosity towards Vinci online offline she was
seething although their friendship group was divided many ultimately took police side
she told her boyfriend Wesley that she hated Vincy and wanted her out of her life
despite having only just started dating Polly a few weeks prior Wesley threw his
support behind her he encouraged his girlfriend Zango a week after the party Polly and Wesley
composed a threatening text message which they sent to Vinci via Wesley's mobile phone
Vince's reply to Wesley's text further enraged Polly with the conflict escalating Vince's
mother called Polly's mother to address the issue they discussed Polly's Behavior but
their conversation had no impact on the conflict Polly's anger soon reached boiling point
she informed her boyfriend that she wanted Vincy gone for good wisely suggested they find someone who
could kill Vincy on their behalf the following weekend Wesley and Polly went to a party in Arnhem
Polly spoke openly of how she wanted Vincy dad but none of the party goers wanted to confront her about it
if they did it could ruin the night so they brushed their concerns off refusing to take Paulie's threat
seriously to keep the pace they made sure not to invite Vincy to the party she showed up anyway
Polly was Furious she confronted Vincy called her derogatory names pushed her and yelled
I'll kill you and I'll kill your family Vincy was in tears she seemed to genuinely shocked at the way her former
best friend was now behaving towards her worse still most of the pair's mutual friends continued to side with Polly
despite her increasingly volatile Behavior they were more upset that Vincy had ruined the Party by attending
in the days that followed Polly stepped up her campaign against Vinci almost daily she bombarded her with
death threats via text messages and social media Vincy spent most of her time on the
computer in her room trying to seem unaffected and defiant in retorts she sent back to Polly
in reality Vinci was growing increasingly fearful that Polly might follow through on her threats
but none of the pair's friends shared her concerns one later spoke to Dutch current affairs
program newsure saying that she and everyone else in their friendship group thought that police threats against Da
Vinci had been empty Polly was known for having an explosive personality and aggressive style of
speaking even Vinci's parents had dismissed the issue assuming it was just typical
teenage bickering that was being blown out of proportion Vinci's father Chun Nam told nuzur that
he believed the feud would fizzle out and Vincy and Polly would become friends again
in actuality Polly had started hatching her revenge less than a month after the fight began
her boyfriend Wesley knew of a 14 year old named yinwa who was known to carry a knife
Wesley was confident that yinwa would do almost anything to gain his favor he was right
when asked yinwa agreed to kill Vinci Howe [Music] just over two weeks later on Christmas
Day Polly and Wesley met up with the yinwar at a snack bar in a village south of Rotterdam
there the trio began planning Vince's murder yinwa had attempted to recruit others to
participate in the slaughter but hadn't found anyone willing to commit he resolved that he would carry out the
murder himself Polly promised to pay yinwa while the final amount offered for the
killing has never been confirmed it was believed that it was somewhere between 50 to 100 euros around 70 to 150
Australian dollars Wesley also promised he would shout yinwa drinks whenever they attended the
same parties Wesley and yinwa kept in touch over the next few days either in person by phone
or online as they ironed out the details Polly was either present for or aware of
all these interactions at first it was decided that yinwa would kill Vinci within the next few days
however they decided to put their plans on hold until the new year a week later on Friday January 6 2012
Wesley handed yinwa a piece of paper honored Polly had written the Howe family's address along with specific
directions on how to get to the home via public transport she'd even provided a description of the
cartoon character decals on the glass next to Vince's front door and the paint Flex on the pavement in front
one week later Polly called one of Vince's classmates to find out what time Vincy would be home from school that day
Wesley was present when his girlfriend made the call and passed the details on to yinwa
yinwa was already in arnum waiting on Vinci straight hours passed but vincey never appeared
frustrated yinwa gave up and left upon discovering that Vinci had not been killed as planned Polly was Furious
she insisted that Wesley contacted yinwa to organize another date for the murder
at about nine the following evening Wesley messaged yinwa via Skype he confirmed that Vinci's parents would
be acceptable collateral damage and a set 3pm as the time of the attack Polly stood over her boyfriend as he
typed tomorrow you will do it on the afternoon of Saturday January 14 yinwa traveled back to Vinci's house
he spoke to Wesley several times over the phone during the 90-minute journey Wesley was with Polly and the two
provided yinwa with encouragement to follow through with the plan it was nearing 3 P.M when yinwa reached
the three-story red brick terraced house belonging to the Howe family the cartoon stickers on the window
alongside the blue front door and the white paint splattered on the pavement confirmed that yinwa was at the right
place he approached the door and was led inside before attacking Vincy when her father attempted to step in
yinwa stabbed him too after Polly's involvement in Vince's murder was established she was arrested
as with the yinwar and Wesley Paulie was only referred to publicly by her first name and a last initial Polly w
yinwa was charged with Vinci Howe's murder and the attempted manslaughter of her father Chun Nam hao
Polly and Wesley were both charged with intentional incitement to murder all three teens were held in juvenile
detention while they awaited trial [Music] yinwa K was the first of the three accused to be tried
his court proceedings began in August 2012 seven months after Vinci's murder in the Netherlands cases against miners
are usually heard behind closed doors however in yinwa's case the panel of three judges made the rare decision to
conduct an open hearing they determined that the public interest outweighed yinwa's individual rights
in relation to Vinci's murder inwa pleaded Not Guilty by reason of diminished responsibility
his defense Council relied on two expert psychological reports a specialist to Child and Adolescent
psychologist concluded that yinwa suffered from a serious behavioral disorder and Psychopathic traits
the second report submitted by a panel of clinical psychologists stated that yinwa placed extreme importance on
fitting in with his peers this meant he didn't even consider refusing Polly and Wesley's demands
in yinwa's mind killing Vinci was a guaranteed path to social acceptance both reports concluded that yinwa should
be regarded as having diminished responsibility on account of his defective mental emotional and Social
Development the defense Council also attempted to limit yinwa's responsibility by citing
the extreme external pressure placed on him by Polly and Wesley the defense claimed that Polly and
Wesley threatened to kill yinwa's parents if he did not do as they instructed the court found no evidence to support
these allegations and concluded that yinwa was a willing participant in the attacks
they were also satisfied that yinwa's actions were premeditated and not a spur-of-the-moment decision made while
yinwa was in a quote blacked out State as his lawyers had suggested in while also pleaded not guilty to the
attempted manslaughter of Chun Nam how he maintained that he'd only defended himself from Chun Nam who attacked him
the court also rejected this claim as yinwa instigated the violent altercation with the Chun Nam and consciously chose
to keep hold of his knife as he did so the Skype correspondence between yinwar and Wesley the day prior to the attack
only further discredited yinwa's claims he had specifically asked if he should also kill Vinci's parents if they
interfered and was told to do so [Music] in his victim impact statement Chun Nam
Howe spoke of how his life had turned into hell since the murder of his daughter
he also bore the physical scars of his life or death struggle with the Vinci's killer
Chun Nam implored the court to find yinwa guilty and to sentence him as an adult rather than a juvenile
Vince's Mother wasn't home at the time her daughter was set upon and has lived with that guilt ever since
let suspects of this horrific act to get their deserved punishment she told the court
the judges delivered their verdict two weeks later yinwa K was found guilty for both the
murder of Vinci Howe and the attempted manslaughter of Chun Nam how as yinwa was only 14 when he committed
these crimes Dutch laws for juvenile offenders applied these laws focused strongly on
Rehabilitation rather than punishment as such yinwa was sentenced to one year in juvenile detention and a further
three years in a TBS TBS is a criminal psychiatric facility where offenders receive psychological
and psychiatric counseling to help reintegrate them into society this sentence was the maximum term
permitted under Dutch law at the time Chun Nam Hao called yinwa's punishment offensive and urged politicians to
consider revising the sentencing laws for exceptional cases such as this poly W and Wesley C both pleaded not
guilty to intentionally inciting yinwa to murder Vinci through her lawyer Polly claimed that
her wish for Vinci to die was not meant to be taken literally she said it was just a turn of phrase
that was common in Chinese culture however no evidence was provided to prove this
two psychological reports were submitted with experts determining that Polly suffered from a delay in social
emotional development identity problems and a behavioral disorder Polly flatly denied threatening or
incentivizing yinwa to kill Vinci the court rejected these arguments finding ample evidence that Polly
intended for Vinci to be killed Wesley's defense argued there was no evidence that messages sent from
Wesley's phone and social media were actually written by Wesley they claimed that Polly was responsible
for them instead Wesley was depicted as a Love Struck teen who allowed Polly to have complete
control over him Wesley claimed that he hadn't wanted Vinci dead he just wanted to scare her
two psychological reports suggested that Wesley functioned at the intellectual and emotional level of an 11 year old
they also indicated that Wesley had an over-dependence and attachment to his mother which transferred to poly once
they started dating the court determined that there was close and conscious collaboration
between poly and Wesley in provoking Vince's murder both teens were found to guilty
the court stated that it was shocking and hard to comprehend that a seemingly trivial quarrel between two young girls
could turn a friendship into deep hatred and eventually lead to murder the prosecution called for both Polly
and Wesley to be sentenced as adults this was permissible in exceptional cases where juvenile offenders were at
least 16 years old the court acknowledged the seriousness of the offenses and the Indescribable
impact that Vince's murder had on her family and the community however given Polly and Wesley's delayed
emotional and intellectual development the court determined that their sentence should focus primarily on Rehabilitation
rather than retaliation Paulie and Wesley were sentenced to two years in juvenile detention the maximum
permissible under Dutch juvenile sentencing laws before they were eligible to be released
back into society the pair would be required to spend a time in a TBS Polly would face three years in the TBS
and Wesley too the public prosecutor appealed these sentences pushing again for Polly and
Wesley to be sentenced as adults both appeals were rejected Wesley C was released in February 2017.
a probation report explained that Wesley's emotional immaturity and attachment issues were treated through
Psychotherapy and behavioral interventions the report also indicated that Wesley's
socio-emotional disadvantages had been rectified and that his self-insight had dramatically improved
his risk of recidivism was judged to be low poly W was released two weeks later Polly's probation report indicated that
she no longer suffered from a conduct or identity disorder and no personality disorder had developed
her risk of recidivism was judged to be low as long as she continued counseling as a condition of their release neither
poly nor Wesley were permitted to contact each other both were required to continue
psychological counseling and Report regularly to authorities during their probation period
during this time yinwa K applied for release the court determined that although he
had undergone positive development a few incidents had Arisen during his Rehabilitation where he made
inappropriate choices concerns remained as to yinwa's ability to appropriately deal with frustrations
accordingly He was ordered to remain in TBS yinwa submitted a second application
seven months later his risk of recurrence was noted as low to moderate primarily in relation to his
impulsive behavior lack of empathy and insufficient cooperation with certain TBS interventions
however the court found that yinwar exhibited a less risky Behavior had demonstrated an ability to withstand
disappointments and manage responsibilities and showed a willingness to seek help
the court determined that he no longer posed a serious risk of violent crime rejecting the public Prosecutor's
request to further extend yinwa's custody Arrangements the court approved yinwa's release in September 2017
subject to stringent conditions inwa was required to regularly report to Probation Services refrain from drug and
alcohol use follow a stricter daily routine underground authorities access to his social media accounts and
finances in April of the following year an advertisement appeared online for the
sale of several expensive pieces of computer equipment the seller whom casefile will refer to
as Mark was contacted by an interested buyer two men arrived at Mark's house that
evening Mark told the Telegraph newspaper that he opened the door to two neat looking
and friendly men of East Asian appearance presumably her father and son the two men collected the computer
equipment instead of handing over the agreed 4 000 Euros as payment the order of the men
pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Mark's head the younger man ordered mark under his
knees and instructed him to count to 60 before moving he threatened to shoot mark his
girlfriend and their baby if Mark attempted anything as the men were leaving after Mark was certain they had driven
away he called the police it took the police a few weeks before they had the two armed robbers in
custody the younger one was yinwa K news of yinwa's violent reoffending brought pain to Chun Nam how who was
still coming to terms with the loss of his daughter he told the telegraph I am not at all surprised that yinwa has
made a mistake again he is severely Disturbed that was evident from the murder Chun Nam further commented
I like the idea that yinwar is now in jail I hope for myself and for society that yinwa stays inside forever
[Music] during the investigation into Vinci Howe's murder investigators examined
online and phone records of yinwa poly Wesley and their friends they soon realized that the murder plot
wasn't a well-kept secret between the three involved in fact many other youths were well
aware of it two hours before Vinci was attacked a friend of yinwas posted on Facebook
a girl is going to die at 3 pm today 19 minutes later at 1 23 the post received its first response
the user rode oh my God yet no one called the police the post remained up long after Vincy
and her father had been struck one user responded to the post about an hour and a half after the attack riding
whoa I just saw it on the newsman damn just over an hour after that another user responded to the post with a
warning that read watch out the police also have Facebook [Music] many more of Polly and Vinci's friends
were aware of the plot since its Inception one of Vince's friends told a news year
if everyone who knew about it who should have reported something that didn't then I think that 60 people should be
arrested for being complicit you know because everyone knew about it everyone knew about it
[Music] ultimately no one who remained silent while knowing that Vincy was in danger
was charged with any crimes [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music]

Case 254: Winsie Hau *** Content warning: child victim ***

On the afternoon of January 14, 2012, 15-year-old Winsie Hau was attacked with a knife by a 14-year-old boy. Winsie's father was also attacked, and while he survived his injuries, Winsie did not.

Police swiftly captured the attacker, who confessed to the killing. However, he was adamant that he had only done so at the behest of two other teenagers. It soon emerged that a trivial teenage quarrel between two friends had led to the murder.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-254-winsie-hau

Brief Summary

Vinci Howe was murdered by a teen hired by her friends after a feud escalated into violence.

Key points

The Attack on Vinci. On January 14, 2012, Vinci was attacked by a teenage boy at her home.
The Role of Social Media. Reports of the attack spread quickly online, impacting Vinci's friends.
The Aftermath of the Attack. Vinci and her father were rushed to the hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.
The Conspiracy to Murder. Polly and Wesley plotted Vinci's murder, leading to a tragic outcome.
The Court's Verdict. Yinwa was found guilty of murder, but his sentence was controversial.
Yinwa's Violent Reoffending. Yinwa K's return to crime brings pain to the victim's family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Vinci's murder was described as incomprehensible.

Family's reaction to the tragic event

7:39WatchJul 8, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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