Man Convinced Wife To Purchase Life Insurance Two Days Before Her Alleged Murder

A Texan war veteran has been arrested and charged with murder on Thursday, Nov. 25, for killing his Chinese wife, with their newly-signed life insurance policy being speculated as the primary motive for the murder.

Christopher Collins, a 41-year-old war veteran who has lived in Houston for the past eight years, reportedly called the police on Thursday to ask if they can visit his house to do a “welfare check” on his wife, whom he had not spoken to for over 45 minutes, worried about a stranger that his wife allegedly saw at their house, KHOU 11 reported.

Collins and police subsequently found the body of 46-year-old Yuanhua Liang, with her head covered with a plastic bag and a gunshot wound through her head. Though Collins claimed that it was an intruder break-in that killed Liang, officers immediately had their doubts about the incident, according to ABC 13.

Later on, they found a newly-signed life insurance policy that was created just over two days before Liang’s death. They also found a .22 caliber live round in Collins’s pocket, which matches the gunshot wound found in Liang’s head.

CCTV footage from the gym also showed Collins pacing about for 45 minutes before calling the police. Liang’s missing wallet was also found inside his gym locker. A witness reportedly heard the couple arguing in their home just before the shooting occurred.

“[This] indicated the bag had been placed over her head after she had been shot. Based on the officer's training and experience, believes the action, which occurs when a person has a personal relationship with a deceased individual does not want to see their face as they die,” prosecutors argued before the judge about the case.

Collins worked as an artist and fashion designer and reportedly survived an unknown kind of cancer twice. Collins and Liang were allegedly having money problems, with Collins’s car being repossessed and him asking for commissions on TikTok as late as Nov. 15, according to the Daily Beast.

Collins is now in jail with a $150,000 bond. He was unable to go to court on Thursday due to being checked by a mental health unit.