Man Wakes From 7-Month Coma and Is Immediately Charged with Murder

A 21-year-old man awoke from a months-long induced coma on Wednesday to find homicide detectives standing at his bedside. They were there to charge him with the murder of his girlfriend.

Weijie He was placed into a coma with critical head injuries last June after falling from the fourth floor balcony of his apartment in Wolli Creek, in south Sydney, Australia. When police visited the apartment the following day, they found the body of He’s 19-year-old girlfriend Liqun Pan inside. Officers allege she’d been badly beaten to death.

It’s not clear whether He’s fall was intentional, but Detective Inspector Robert Alison said “witnesses told us he fell from the fourth floor of a common area, so it was either misadventure or a suicide attempt.

"He is very, very lucky to be alive,” Detective Inspector Alison added. “Most people would have not survived."

The alleged killer was in a coma for close to seven months, and remains in hospital receiving treatment.

He and Pan, both originally from China, had been together for two years and were studying in Australia on student visas. Detective Inspector Alison acknowledged how difficult the incident was for Pan’s family, who were unable to attend her funeral due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

"It is horrific. I really do feel for the family," Alison said. "The distance being so far away makes it even more difficult for them. But we are working closely with them."

He has been refused bail and was due to face court via video link on Wednesday.

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