Jenny Lin

Jenny Han-chi Lin was born on May 25, 1980 in Castro

Valley, California. On May 27, 1994, Jenny was murdered at the Jenny Lin
age of fourteen in her own home in Castro Valley, CA. In the 25
years since this incident, only one suspect has been named and
the killer has yet to be found. The FBI and Alameda County Sheriff
continue to search for the killer and are offering a $100,000
reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
murderer as of 2019. [1]
In her honor, Jenny’s parents created the Jenny Lin
Foundation. Jenny’s talent in music lead her parents to make
youth music education a priority of the foundation. Every year
events are held by the Jenny Lin Foundation to involve
themselves with the young community and honor Jenny. [1]

Born: May 25, 1980

Table of Contents
1 Introduction
Died: May 27, 1994
2 Early Life
2.1 Education
School: Canyon Middle
2.2 Music
School
3 Death
3.1 Possible Suspect
Orchestras: Canyon
3.2 Case Outcome
Middle School Orchestra,
4 Jenny Lin Foundation
Castro Valley Chamber
4.1 Giving Back to the Community
Orchestra
5 Related Cases
5.1 Future Investigation
Instrument: Viola

Introduction
Jenny Lin was born on May 25, 1980 in Castro Valley, California. During the afternoon of
May 27, 1994, Jenny was stabbed in her bedroom of her peaceful home, located in Castro
Valley, after coming home from school. Her death at the young age of 14 shocked the citizens
of the surrounding area. After 25 years of investigation, her case remains unsolved, but her
legacy continues to live on. [1]
Early Life
Jenny Lin was born on May 25, 1980 in Eden Hospital located in Castro Valley,
California to her parents, John Lin and Mei-Lian Lin. At the age of three, Jenny began her
involvement in music by taking dance lessons until the age of twelve and studying the piano for
eight years. She also showed an interest in sports by running and playing tennis in her free
time. [1]
Jenny loved to take care of others. Whenever the opportunity to baby sit children or dogs
presented itself, Jenny would always volunteer to take care. Around her friends, Jenny liked to
collaborate and help them with their school work. Through this, she built her communicative and
caring background. When asked about her personality, her parents John Lin and Mei-Lian Lin
stated, “Throughout her life, Jenny maintained the most vibrant, vivacious, and easy-going
personality. Her big eyes and big smile always welcomed a good time; she loved to play around
and be silly whenever she found the chance. Even at her young age, she knew the secret to a
happy and fulfilling life and helped others around her to discover the same.” [1]

Jenny smiles for a school photo. (from jennylinfoundation.org)

Education
Jenny attended school in Castro Valley from 1984-1994. She started elementary school
at a private school called Crossroads Christian School and finished at Vannoy Elementary
School. She continued onto Canyon Middle School where she received straight A’s during her
time there. In addition, she also attended Saturday school at a Chinese school to learn about
her culture’s heritage. Her favorite subjects were math and English, but her interest lied in the
deep sea. For college, she hoped to attend UC Berkeley’s Academic Talent Development
program and major in marine biology. [1]

Music
Music was an important part of Jenny’s life. She started out at the age of three playing
piano and taking dance lessons. In sixth grade, Jenny started playing the viola for her middle
school orchestra. Playing the viola quickly became a passion of hers, and her talents were
immediately recognized. Jenny was named the principal violist of her middle school orchestra
and was invited to play for the Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra in the eighth grade. She also
received awards such as an “Outstanding Musician” and the “Perpetual Plaque” for her musical
talent. Jenny enjoyed performing and being a part of the orchestra as it quickly became a huge
part of her life. [1]

Jenny gracefully plays her viola as she focuses on the placement of her fingers. (from:
https://www.alamedacountysheriff.org/jennylin.php)
Death
On May 27, 1994, Jenny Lin was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her home at the
age of 14. Jenny was last heard from by a friend whom she was talking on the phone with at
around 5:15 pm. Sometime within the next hour, the killer entered through a broken window or
the backyard door and stabbed Jenny to death. At 6:45pm, Jenny’s father, John Lin,
discovered her dead body after coming home from work. Initially John was shocked but also
confused at why his daughter was targeted. [2]
The local sheriff’s department and the FBI worked effortlessly since her death to solve
the case. Unfortunately, the killer committed a “perfect crime”, leaving little to no evidence for
investigators to work with. Consequently, investigators were not able to identify any suspects
and even after 25 years, the killer has yet to be found. [2]

Jenny’s grave decorated with colorful flowers and butterflies. (Source: jennylinfoundation.org)

Possible Suspect
In May 2006, twelve years after the death of Jenny Lin, a suspect was finally named.
Sebastian Alexander Shaw, who was a focus of the investigation since his first arrest in Oregon
shortly after Lin’s death, was the first and only suspect to be named. Shaw was first arrested in
August of 1994 after being found with a car and two rifles that were stolen from a home in San
Ramon which was located only 15 miles from Jenny’s home. Shaw serves two life sentences for
the murders of Donna Ferguson and Todd Rudiger occurring in July 1992 and the rape of a
Portland women in June 1995. Shaw claimed to have killed 10 to 12 people in an interview with
law enforcement, but never confessed or spoke about the Jenny Lin case in particular. [2]
This information brought some long-awaited relief to the Lin family. Henry Lee, a writer
for the local newspaper SFGate, quoted Mei-Lian Lin’s reaction to the naming of the suspect,
“Finally, after 12 years, there is some justice for Jenny… There are all kinds of feelings going
through our heads right now.” After years of promoting and spreading Jenny’s story in hopes of
finding the killer, the parents of Jenny Lin were grateful to hear that a suspect was identified.
Although relieving to hear, it still left many questions that investigators and family had since the
beginning unanswered. [2]

A mugshot of Sebastian Alexander Shaw, the first and only suspect of the Jenny Lin case.
(from: SFGate)

Case Outcome
In May 2007, the jury came to a decision to not convict Shaw for the murder of Jenny Lin
due to the lack of evidence against the suspect. Although not convicted, Shaw remains as one
of the primary suspects of the case and investigators continue to seek out more information.
East Bay Times writers Sophia Kazmi and Alejandro Alfonso quote an Alameda County Sheriff
Sergeant after the outcome saying, “It is our obvious goal to bring closure to the Lin family in the
near future… Because this remains an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to
discuss what is in our case files.” Even if there are more lead-ins regarding the finding of the
murderer, the investigators will not release that information to the public making it difficult to
keep track of what’s going on with the case. [3]
The Jenny Lin Foundation
Following the murder of Jenny in 1994, parents John Lin and Mei-Lian Lin, created the
Jenny Lin Foundation in honor of their daughter and her talent for music. The foundation looks
to promote child safety and youth music education to Castro Valley and its surrounding
communities. Ever since her death, the foundation has been holding concerts, educational
events and giving scholarships to the local’s youth. [1]

A performance by the local orchestra at an event held by the Jenny Lin Foundation. (from:
jennylinfoundation.org)

Giving Back to the Community

Annually, many events are hosted by the Jenny Lin Foundation. These events range
from little events such as art competitions that promote child safety to bigger events such as
orchestra and band concerts. The foundation offers a free music camp every summer for
students apart of their school’s band and orchestra. At the end of the camp a free concert is
held to promote the Jenny Lin Foundation’s mission and show off the musical talent of the
local’s youth. One of the biggest events is the Annual Memorial and Candlewalk for Jenny Lin.
Every year on the Friday before Memorial Day, a ceremony is held to remember the passing of
Jenny Lin. Following the ceremony, a candlelight walk is held in the heart of Castro Valley. This
event is open to anyone that wants to participate and has brought the community together in
support of the case. [4]
Case History
The most recent news related to Jenny Lin’s case is the track down of the Golden State
Killer in July 2018. Law enforcement was able to identify the man behind the dozens of murders
and rapes during the 1970s and 80s using genealogy databases. This is not the only case that
has been solved. More than five cases that have been investigated for over 25 years have been
solved recently using this technology. With more and more cases being solved, gene database
companies predict that the number of cases being resolved will only increase. [5]

Future Investigation
The solving of these old cases has given the parents of Jenny Lin hope that one day the
murderer will be found. John and Mei-Lian Lin have questioned investigators about this
technology and how it can be used for Jenny’s case. However, law enforcement has been
hesitant to implement it into solving Jenny’s case. Alameda County Sheriff Sergeant Ray Kelly
explains the worries of using this technology, “There’s a lot of uncharted waters, legal, moral
issues that have been brought up in regards to this. There are some naysayers saying doing
this is too intrusive. So we don’t know where this is headed… We’re not saying we would never
do it, but we would do it with a court order or search warrant.” Law enforcement is worried that
this will invade the privacy of the suspects relatives who have similar DNA and genes to that of
the suspect. On the other hand, Jenny’s parents are on the opposite side of the argument. John
Lin responded to Kelly’s statement with, “That certainly makes me wonder if they are too
conservative and overly protective of certain parts of the investigation… From the victim’s
family’s point of view, I would certainly prefer they could take a more aggressive approach to
help us solve Jenny’s case.” John is pushing investigators to use this new technology. The
invasion of privacy is of no worry to him as him as his wife continue to seek justice for their
daughter. [5]

The parents of John Lin (left) and Mei Lian Lin (right) holding a school photo of Jenny Lin. (from:
cvhsolympian.com)
 Works Cited

1. Lin, John, and Mei-Lian Lin. “About Jenny.” Jenny Lin Foundation,

jennylinfoundation.org/about-us/about-jenny/.

2. Lee, Henry K. “ALAMEDA COUNTY / Jenny Lin Killing Suspect Named -- after 12

Years / Convict Serving Life in Oregon Has Been Focus of Long Probe.” SFGate, San Francisco

Chronicle, 25 May 2006, www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/ALAMEDA-COUNTY-Jenny-Lin-

killing-suspect-named-2496273.php.

3. Kazmi, Sophia, and Alejandro Alfonso. “Slaying Suspect Not Going to Be Charged.”

East Bay Times, East Bay Times, 17 Aug. 2016, www.eastbaytimes.com/2007/05/24/slaying-

suspect-not-going-to-be-charged/.

4. Hurd, Cheryl. “Hundreds Gather to Remember Jenny Lin.” NBC Bay Area, NBC Bay

Area, 24 May 2013, www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Hundreds-Gather-to-Remember-Jenny-

Lin-208922161.html.

5. Sulek, Julia Prodis. “How the Golden State Killer and a Genealogy Database Spawned

a Golden Era in Cracking Cold Cases.” The Mercury News, The Mercury News, 28 July 2018,

www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/28/genealogy-database-that-nabbed-golden-state-killer-ushers-

in-golden-era-of-cold-case-solving/?clearUserState=true.