Dark Obsession-Ming Sen Shiue

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ming-Shen Shiyu was born in Taiwan, but his family
immigrated to Minnesota when hewas a young boy.
He attended Alexander RamseyHigh School in Roseville,
minnesota, and while attendingthis school he developed a crush
on his algebra teacher, maryStauffer.
This crush developed into anobsession, and this obsession
followed him through toadulthood.
Welcome to this episode ofHuman Wreckage.

(00:22):
In this episode, we talk aboutthe case of Ming-Shen Shiyu and
how an obsession led him down adark path.
Brace yourselves, this ismessed up.
Let's get into it.
So On the 16th of May 1980,shiu managed to track Mary down.

(01:10):
She had been in a beauty salonin St Paul with her 8-year-old
daughter, elizabeth.
Mary's family had beenscheduled to leave for the
Philippines on a 4-year Baptistmissionary trip, and she and her
daughter were treatingthemselves to a haircut before
the big trip.
Upon leaving the beauty salon,ming approached Mary and
Elizabeth armed with a gun.
Fifteen years had passed and atfirst Mary didn't recognize

(01:37):
Ming.
Initially she thought that hepossibly wanted to steal her car
, so she handed over her keys.
Ming, however, had other plans.
He forced Mary and Elizabethinto the car and ordered Mary to
drive north.
Mary drove to a remote woodedarea in Anoka County where Ming
tied her up alongside Elizabethand stuffed them into the trunk
of the car.
Ming drove a short distance toan undeveloped area near

(01:57):
Roseville to check on Mary andElizabeth.
As he was doing this, twolittle boys approached the car.
One of the boys stayed at thefront of the car while the
second boy, 6-year-old JasonWilkman, came to the trunk to
see what was going on.
Tragically, ming grabbed Jasonand shoved him in the trunk
alongside Mary and Elizabeth.
Ming then drove to the CarlosAvery Wildlife Management Area.

(02:19):
He grabbed Jason out of thetrunk and beat him to death with
a metal rod in the wooded areanearby.
From here, ming drove Mary andElizabeth to his apartment in
Roseville.
They were shackled and chainedtogether in a back bedroom
closet which measured only 4feet by 21 inches.
By this point, mary andElizabeth's family were frantic.

(02:39):
Mary's husband, irv, had calledthe beauty salon and discovered
that they had left their safeand well.
However, they had neverreturned home.
Irv called around localhospitals, working on the
assumption they had potentiallyhad an accident, before calling
police to report them missing.
By the following day, policehad linked the disappearance of
Jason with the disappearance ofMary and Elizabeth.

(03:01):
By this point, his body had notyet been discovered.
At the scene where Jason wasabducted, mary's license plate
was discovered.
It had been torn off by heavybrush during the quick getaway.
While police were attempting tofind Jason, mary and Elizabeth,
ming had revealed his identityto Mary.
Over the course of the next twomonths, ming repeatedly raped

(03:23):
Mary, telling her that he wantedher to feel dirty, debased and
degraded.
As time progressed, mingrelaxed the strict rules within
the apartment, while Mary andElizabeth were ordered to remain
bound together.
They were allowed to eatupstairs in the kitchen and were
allowed to shower.
He was weirdly affectionate ina sick parental way, elizabeth
later said.

(03:43):
At the time Ming ran anelectronics store and he
eventually had to go back towork.
He was weirdly affectionate ina sick parental way, elizabeth
later said.
At the time Ming ran anelectronics store and he
eventually had to go back towork.
On the 7th of July, after Mingleft for work, mary and
Elizabeth managed to freethemselves from their binds and
call the police.
When the officer arrived, marywas asked if Jason was with them
.
While Mary had known that Jasonhad been removed from the trunk

(04:05):
, she hadn't realized that hehad been murdered.
That's when I knew that Jasonnever made it home and was most
likely dead, she said.
Ming was swiftly apprehendedand ordered to stand trial.
While awaiting trial, he triedseveral times to have Mary and
Elizabeth killed so that theycould not testify against him
during trial.
During the ensuing trial, minghad somehow been able to smuggle

(04:27):
a pocket knife into thecourtroom and, as Mary was on
the witness stand testifyingagainst him, he slashed her face
.
He inflicted a wound that wouldneed 62 stitches.
Following the outburst, mingwas bound to his chair.
During court proceedings, mingwas found guilty and sentenced
to 40 years for the murder andanother 30 years for the
kidnapping.

(04:47):
He had reached a plea agreementwherein he directed
investigators to Jason's body inreturn for first-degree murder
being taken off the table.
This meant that Ming could beup for parole in as little as 30
years.
In 2010, ming was back in courtfor a commitment hearing.
As he was up for a paroleconsideration in the summer,
prosecutors were seeking to keepMing locked up.

(05:09):
Under the state's civilcommitment law meant for
dangerous sex offenders.
This would mean that if Mingwere ever released, he would be
committed to the state's sexoffender program.
When he entered court, he wasusing a walker and had shackles
attached to his feet.
Elizabeth publicly spoke duringthe hearing about how the
incident still haunts her.
She was now a married motherand said that Ming had

(05:31):
threatened to hunt her and herown children down if he was ever
caught, imprisoned and thenreleased.
She said I'm a mother today.
Everything he ever told usduring the kidnapping he did I
don't know that I'd let mychildren go out to a park, to a
mall, if he were released.
Ming testified that he had beenrehabilitated after serving
decades in a high-securityprison.

(05:52):
He apologized for his crimesand recounted them in detail.
The remorse and sorrow remainsheavy on me.
I regret acting in that matter.
I chose to do wrong.
I had no concern for anybody.
He also said that he would bewilling to undergo sexual
offender treatment and wouldhave done so before, but it
wasn't available in the prisonhe was being held in.

(06:14):
Ming's lawyer, rick Maddox, saidthat Ming was now old and
infirm and suffered fromarthritis and kidney failure and
was unlikely to re-offend.
He announced that he believedthat Ming was rehabilitated and
could acclimatize to the outsideworld.
Two psychological experts,however, said that he should be
sent to Minnesota's sex offendertreatment program in Moose Lake

(06:35):
.
Ultimately, the judge ruledthat Ming was a sexually
dangerous person with a sexualpsychopathic personality.
She decided that if Ming wereever paroled he would be
committed to the state's sexoffender program.
The decision was a welcomerelief to Mary and Elizabeth.
I don't want to say we'reafraid.
We don't know what could havehappened in 30 years, but by the

(06:56):
same token, my family knows thethreat is real, said Mary,
thanks for listening.
I told you it was a messed upcase.
If you like what I do, pleaselike and subscribe.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves.
Outro Music.