5 key details about Paula Chin's murder 

The January 2019 murder of Paula Chin stunned New York City and captured national headlines because of its nature. Chin, a 65-year-old mother, was murdered by her son, Jared Eng, in their TriBeCa home. The crime entailed a premeditated cover-up, the help of Eng's close friends, and an inheritance motive.

Eng eventually entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison. Paula Chin's murder case will be featured on New York Homicide season 3 episode 13, titled Trouble in Tribeca, on April 26, 2025, on Oxygen.

---

Five important facts about the murder of Paula Chin, derived from court documents and reporting

1) The TriBeCa murder

Paula Chin was murdered in her apartment at 17 Vestry Street, TriBeCa, which she shared with her son, Jared Eng, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. On January 31, 2019, Eng assaulted and stabbed his mother in a brutal altercation.

The stab wounds to the neck and the blunt trauma to the head were found by the medical examiner. Eng subsequently confessed to the murder, explaining to one of his accomplices that it "took her a while to die" and that he wished to speed up his inheritance process.

---

2) The attempted cover-up and disposal of the body

As per the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, following the killing, Eng tried to hide the crime. He cleaned the apartment with the help of two women, Caitlyn O'Rourke and Jennifer Lopez, to assist him in disposing of his mother's corpse. The three took Chin's corpse in a duffle bag to her second residence in Morristown, New Jersey.

They hid her body in a trash container on the Morristown property. Police subsequently recovered bloody rubber gloves, duct tape, and bloodstains in the area as well as on Chin's car, which were used to relocate the body.

---

3) Digital evidence and confessions

According to reports, digital evidence was central in the investigation. Prosecutors exposed that Eng went online to learn how to dispose of a body, such as searching "DIY bone meal." He also started to change the passwords on Chin's bank accounts and looked up inheritance attorneys in the days of the killing. Text messages between Eng and his co-conspirators tracked their movements.

Eng sent messages stating “It’s done,” “I’m free,” and that he “got rid of [his] problem.” Surveillance video captured the group moving items from the TriBeCa apartment to Chin’s car, further tying them to the crime.

---

4) The investigation and arrests

As per the New York Times, Paula Chin was reported missing by her older son, Brandon, on February 4, 2019. The following day, police found her body in the garbage container at the Morristown home. Eng, O'Rourke, and Lopez were arrested shortly thereafter.

O'Rourke informed detectives that Eng admitted to the murder and explained the process of transporting and concealing the body. O'Rourke and Lopez were charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with evidence, while Eng was charged with murder.

---

5) Guilty plea and sentencing

According to reports, Jared Eng first denied any involvement but eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September 2022. On October 26, 2022, Eng was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison.

O'Rourke and Lopez were released under bail reform statutes, with their cases still ongoing as of the most recent reports. The Manhattan District Attorney termed the crime "brutal and shocking" and said that the guilty plea was some kind of justice for the family of Paula Chin.

---

The murder of Paula Chin included an assault by her son, a cover-up assisted by two colleagues, and an inheritance-based motive. The investigation was based on forensic evidence, computer records, and confessions.