Florida man allegedly slit wife's throat, then held her hand while she bleed to death

A Florida man appeared in court on Thursday and was denied bail after being accused of slitting his wife's throat in a rage fit and then holding her hand as she bled to death in a bathtub while her favorite song played in the background.

Xichen Yang, 21, made his initial appearance on Thursday before Seminole County Judge Wayne Culver, who determined there was sufficient probable cause to arrest the suspect on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Yang, a pool technician from Altamonte Springs, was arrested on Tuesday for the brutal murder of his new wife, Nhu Quynh Pham, 21, who was found dead from a knife wound to the neck.

Police said that just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, several officers were dispatched to an address in the 900 block of Ballard Street to conduct a welfare check.

When agents entered the apartment, they found Pham lying in a "pool of blood" in the bathtub. 

"Pham had a deep laceration on the left side of her neck from which blood was flowing," the report said. "Her stomach was also filled with blood."She was pronounced dead at the scene.

During an interview with police after his arrest, Yang allegedly admitted to slitting his wife's throat.

The 21-year-old told detectives that before the murder, "he could feel himself getting angrier and angrier... and that he could have avoided killing her."

When police officers asked the murder suspect why he didn't stop, Yang replied that "that's not 'how he was raised'" and that he is the type of person who always "goes all the way."

The arrest report indicated that after Yang slit Pham's throat, he took her to the bathroom. 

"He put Pham in the bathtub, 'played her favorite music' and 'held her hand' for what he estimates was approximately ten minutes until she died," police wrote in the report. At no time did he call 911 for help, authorities said.

Detectives later interviewed Yang's employer, who told them that when he called Yang early Tuesday morning and asked him why he had not shown up for work, "Yang said he was upset with his wife, Pham, because she had burned his passport," and that he had done "abominable things" to her.

Altamonte Springs police told ClickOrlando that officers had been called to Yang's home three times in the past six months, including less than two weeks before the murder. Pham had called to report that her husband was harming himself and that she was worried about him.

In January, Yang was arrested for allegedly punching his wife in the face, but the assault charge against him was later dropped.

Yang is due back in court for an arraignment on August 2.

A friend launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Pham's family send her body to her native Vietnam for a burial. 

"Many loved Quynh and she created many friendships during his time among us," Ryan Tran wrote in the fundraiser description.