Husband recalls horrific details of deadly attack on wife

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Charles Teng still can't believe his beloved wife of 55 years is gone.

"My regret, I couldn't save my wife," he said.

Sue Teng was killed when a stranger barged into their backyard two days ago and attacked her as she gardened. Charles came to her defense. He tried to ward off the random attacker in the home the couple has lived in for decades.

Charles Teng and his extended family sat down on Friday for their first TV interview. The family had gathered a relative's Sugar Land-area home to plan a funeral.

"I hit him, arm and leg and shoes, my stick broke," said Teng, who demonstrated to Eyewitness News how he tried again and again to save his wife. "Then, I used a golf club to hit him, but it was too short."

Sue Teng didn't survive. She was the matriarch of a multi-generational family that spanned from Houston to Taiwan. Her nephews Stephen and Christopher Lai remember a woman took care of everyone.

"When I was younger I never liked to eat so she would always make sure I eat my food and finish my meals," said Christopher Lai.

"There was never a moment where she was not thinking of somebody else," echoed Stephen Lai.

Sue and Charles Teng married on April 25, 1960. They had just celebrated their 55th anniversary. They were planning her 80th birthday next month. Now the family just wants Houston police to catch the man responsible.

"A monster like that roaming around the streets is not safe for anyone," said Christopher Lai.

The description of the attacker is a tall black male, possibly around 5'8. He wore a long-sleeved striped shirt.

Charles Teng says he just wants justice for Sue.

"I tried to save her but couldn't. I feel sorry I couldn't do better to save her," he said.