In the US, a husband beat his wife with a frying pan and set her on fire, not wanting to divide the property (8 photos)

A doctor was beaten with a frying pan in California, then set on fire in a $2.6 million mansion. The body of 56-year-old Irene Gou-Lai was found in a burnt-out room of a house in San Marino. Prosecutors say 63-year-old Yun "Kevin" Lai brutally killed his wife after she asked to end their prenuptial agreement.





The woman was found to have multiple injuries: a broken nose, a cracked eye socket, and a knocked-out tooth.

A report on the investigation into the death was presented to the court. A frying pan was found next to a metal baseball bat, with blood on both items. After the beating, Gou-Lai was set on fire, with burns covering 60% of her body.



The murder was the end of a turbulent 22-year marriage that was marked by frequent divorce filings.

In August 2024, Gou-Lai filed a lawsuit to annul the prenuptial agreement. She claimed to have discovered several properties that were jointly registered to her husband.

Relatives told the Times that the couple had discussed reconciliation. However, Irene had set several conditions. She demanded that the prenuptial agreement be annulled and that her name be added to all marital property.





Court documents include text messages in which Gou-Lai tells her brother that her husband is begging her to come back. When she shared her conditions, which included therapy, her brother asked, “This seems like a lot. Do you think he’ll agree?”

“It depends on what’s more important to him,” she replied.



Their marriage contract was terminated in September 2024, and Irene was recognized as co-owner of all the property. However, she still planned to get a divorce.

She told her relatives that she was increasingly afraid of her husband and feared for her safety. Yoon left the mansion to the family, but often visited his 16-year-old sons, taking them to events.



On January 6, Lai arrived at around 7 a.m. to take the twins to baseball practice. The cameras were manually turned off after six minutes. He dropped off his sons and said he had to go to work. However, he was seen outside Irene's house at 8:19 a.m.



Police arrived in the area at 9:46 a.m. A neighbor noticed smoke coming from the house and reported meeting and speaking with Yun. He looked confused, saying his wife had gone to pick up the twins from practice.



The couple's 16-year-old sons stayed with their aunt that night, not wanting to be near their father.

"They were scared," said Irene's lawyer and cousin.

Lai has been charged with murder and arson, but has pleaded not guilty. He was released on $2.25 million bail.