SGV Man Charged With Murder in Connection With Discovery of Body in Car Trunk

ALHAMBRA, CA - A San Gabriel Valley man was charged Wednesday with murdering a Chinese national whose decomposing body was found in a car trunk in Monterey Park last month.

Andy Yalau Chen, 37, is jailed in lieu of $5 million bail while awaiting arraignment April 22 in connection with the shooting death of Min Gu, along with a charge that Chen was cultivating marijuana, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The 30-year-old victim -- who had been shot several times -- was discovered dead inside the trunk of a car in the 200 block of South Lincoln Avenue after a Monterey Park resident reported a foul odor coming from a vehicle parked near her home.

Police found an unlocked car when they arrived at the location and discovered Gu's body when an officer opened the trunk, according to Deputy District Attorney Theodore Swanson.

Authorities determined that Chen had been one of the last people in contact with Gu while he was still alive, and obtained a warrant to search Chen's home, the prosecutor said.

When authorities went to the home, it appeared that Gu may have been killed there, according to Swanson.

Authorities also discovered that Chen was growing marijuana at the house, according to the District Attorney's Office.

"Detectives believe the motive for the murder was a financial dispute," Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Ryan Rouzan said Friday, a day after Chen's arrest.

Chen could face up to 53 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock