Palm Desert man, 34, suspected of stabbing wife, other man to death at hotel

The stabbing on Friday in Palm Desert that left a man and a woman dead and a third man seriously wounded was a case of “domestic violence,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

The stabbing occurred at 6:55 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of the SpringHill Suites Hotel, at 72-322 Highway 111.

Killed were Jesus Sanchez, 30, of Cathedral City, and Yiyang Wu, 31 of Palm Desert. They were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after deputies arrived, sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez said in a press release issued late Friday.

Wu was the wife of suspect Kenny Wu, 34, of Palm Desert, whom first responders found wounded at the scene. Ramirez said Wu was hospitalized in critical condition. He said Wu would be arrested on suspicion of murder when he is released from the hospital.

“Through the course of the investigation, and video surveillance review, this incident was determined to be a case of domestic violence,” Ramirez said. He did not give further details.

As of Saturday afternoon, Riverside County jail records did not show Wu had been arrested.

Kenny Wu is a licensed registered nurse, California state records show, and his Facebook account indicated he studied at College of the Desert.

According to information on their social media accounts, the couple married about 10 years ago. Yaying Wu, also known as Kasey or Yaya, was from Shanghai and sold jewelry on Etsy. She said on her Etsy page she had a bachelor’s degree in art, specializing in floral acrylic and oil paintings.

Public records show the couple owned a home less than two miles from the hotel. The small neighborhood street was quiet Saturday afternoon. There was a red convertible parked in the driveway of the Wus’ home, but the house was quiet and no one answered the doorbell. One neighbor said he didn’t know the Wus.

Sheriff’s officials did not say how Sanchez may have been associated with either of the Wus. Nor has it been disclosed if any of the three were staying at SpringHill Suites.

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Through the course of the investigation and the review of video surveillance, it was determined that the incident was “a domestic violence case,” the sheriff’s department said, though no additional details were released.

These are the first homicides reported in Palm Desert this year. In 2021, there were three within the city limits, tied for the most in a decade.

SpringHill Suites, which opened in November 2019, is situated just east of Fred Waring Drive on the busy Highway 111 corridor that is sprawling with retailers and restaurants — the big box chain stores and restaurants as well as locally owned businesses.

The hotel, which is under the Marriott brand, is in the spot that was formerly occupied by a Fairfield Inn. Also a Marriott hotel, the Fairfield Inn closed in 2014, due to major damage following an electrical fire.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call (760) 836-1600 or (951) 955-2777.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Sheriff: Fatal stabbing at hotel was case of ‘domestic violence’