A man charged with murdering 16-year-old Wenjing Lin in her family’s south Wales Chinese restaurant has appeared in court for the first time.
Chun Xu is accused of stabbing Wenjing on 5 March during an altercation at the takeaway in Treorchy, a village in the Rhondda Valley.
He is also charged with attempting to murder a 38-year-old man in the same incident.
The 31-year-old appeared at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon for a brief hearing before his case was sent to Cardiff Crown Court.
He did not enter a plea to the two charges but was remanded in custody ahead of further hearings in Cardiff on Friday.
Police officers were called to reports of an attack at the Blue Sky takeaway in Baglan Street, Treorchy, at about noon on 5 March.
A 38-year-old man who is being treated in hospital is now in a stable condition and, despite being previously arrested in connection with the incident, is no longer considered a suspect, South Wales Police has said.
Earlier, Wenjing’s school in Treorchy paid tribute to the popular teenager, describing her as “kind, passionate, and ambitious".
She was studying for her GCSEs when she was killed and also worked at her family’s restaurant.
"Wenjing was an honest and passionate pupil, who believed that it was important to always stand up for what you believe in,” the school said in a statement.
"She was at the heart of her circle of friends, who shared a belief in being kind, passionate, and ambitious, but, most importantly, being true to yourself."
Last week, Wenjing’s family released their own tribute, saying: “Wenjing had a very gentle soul, she was a very quiet person. Wenjing helped the whole family, working in the family takeaway.
"She enjoyed school and worked very hard. She was loved by her family."
