On July 18, 2009, Australia awoke to news of a horrifying crime that shook the country: five members of the Lin family were brutally murdered in their home in North Epping, a quiet suburb in Sydney’s northwest. The victims were Min Lin, 45, his wife Yun Lin, 43, their sons Henry, 12, and Terry, 9, and Yun’s sister Irene Lin, 39. All had been bludgeoned to death in their beds with a hammer-like weapon in an attack described by investigators as ferocious and calculated.
The only surviving member of the immediate family, 15-year-old Brenda Lin, was on a school trip to New Caledonia when the murders occurred. She later learned of the massacre via Facebook. Her world shattered, Brenda was placed in the care of her aunt and uncle — Kathy Lin and her husband Lian Bin “Robert” Xie — who would soon fall under suspicion.
From the start, the investigation puzzled authorities. There was no forced entry, no theft, and the killer had bypassed Brenda’s room. Forensic evidence pointed to someone intimately familiar with the household, including the layout of the home and how to disable the circuit breaker. Blood evidence in Xie’s garage and a damaged shoebox linked to size 9.5 ASICS sneakers — matching bloody prints at the scene — became critical in tying Xie to the crime.
Xie, a former ear, nose, and throat doctor in China, had faced financial and personal struggles after immigrating to Australia. Prosecutors alleged he harbored deep resentment toward his more successful brother-in-law, Min Lin, and was also motivated by a sexual obsession with his teenage niece, Brenda, who would later accuse him of abuse during her time in his custody.
Following a lengthy investigation, Xie was arrested in 2011 and charged with the murders. What followed was one of the most protracted and complex legal sagas in Australian criminal history. His trials were repeatedly delayed and disrupted — once due to a judge’s illness, once ending in a hung jury, and once abandoned altogether. During his third trial, jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict after months of testimony. Finally, in January 2017, during a fourth trial, a jury found Xie guilty on all five counts of murder. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Xie’s appeal was dismissed in 2021. Meanwhile, Brenda Lin emerged from tragedy as a resilient advocate. In 2024, she was recognized for her work supporting survivors of sexual abuse. Through her organization, The Survivor Network, Brenda has helped establish 12 hubs across Australia aimed at fostering healing and community for abuse victims.
The Lin family murders remain one of Australia’s most harrowing cases — a blend of intimate betrayal, cold-blooded violence, and a justice process that took years to deliver answers. The case underscores the enduring impacts of family violence and the strength of those left behind to rebuild.
