In the quiet rural landscape west of Hennessey, Oklahoma, a dispute over money at a marijuana farm escalated into a scene of brutal violence on the evening of November 20, 2022. Inside a garage on the 10-acre property, Chen He Chun, a 60-year-old Chinese national, along with three of his coworkers, were fatally shot in what investigators would later describe as 'mafia-style executions.'
The attack stemmed from a heated confrontation with a former employee who had returned to the farm with a singular, aggressive demand.
The man identified as the perpetrator was Wu Chen, a 45-year-old Chinese citizen who had previously worked at the illegally licensed marijuana grow operation. On that Sunday evening, he entered the building and, after a significant amount of time inside, confronted the workers. He demanded the immediate return of a $300,000 investment he had in the enterprise. When the workers were unable to produce the sum on such short notice, the situation turned deadly. Wu Chen opened fire, methodically shooting his victims.
The violent outburst left four people dead: Chen He Chun, Quirong Lin, Chen He Qiang, and Fang Hui Lee. A fifth worker, Yi Fei Lin, was seriously wounded in the attack but survived. Following the killings, Wu Chen fled the scene, sparking a multi-state manhunt. Investigators quickly identified him as the primary suspect, noting that the incident did not appear to be random and that the suspect was familiar with the victims.
The search for Wu Chen came to an end two days later in Miami Beach, Florida. A car tag reader flagged the vehicle he was driving, leading to his swift arrest without incident. He was held in Florida before being extradited back to Oklahoma to face charges. In Kingfisher County, he was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. In February 2024, Chen Wu pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a close to the tragic case that highlighted the violent underbelly of illicit marijuana operations in the state.
