New court leak: Scientology lied that Leah Remini had ‘blood on her hands’ in knife slay

As Leah Remini’s Emmy-winning A&E network series Scientology and the Aftermath neared the end of its three-season run in 2019, it was a refrain we were beginning to hear constantly from the Church of Scientology itself: Leah Remini had blood on her hands.

Remini and her co-star, Mike Rinder, had invited Scientology to participate in the series throughout its run, but the church had never responded to those offers. Instead, Scientology ran various online campaigns claiming that Remini’s show was stirring up individuals to do harm to the church and its people. And in 2019, Scientology kicked it up a notch by claiming that Leah and her show were responsible for getting a Scientology employee in Australia killed.

Perhaps you heard some of the details: A 16-year-old Taiwan national had knifed two security guards at Scientology’s “Advanced Org” in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood on January 3, 2019, killing one guard and injuring the other.

Scientology claimed that the 16-year-old boy had been motivated by watching Leah’s show, which led him to attack the Scientology employees.

“Leah Remini has blood on her hands. Her show’s lies, distortions and exhortations to hate and bigotry generated assassination threats against the leader of the Scientology religion, physical attacks on Churches, and the murder of a Scientology religious worker whose throat was slashed by a madman egged on by Remini’s horrendous distortions,” the church told the NY Post that year.

But was it true? One of the tough things about looking into the case was that the Australian courts carefully guarded details of the case from the public because the accused was a minor. He was never named, and eventually the courts found that although he did kill the security guard, the boy was judged unfit to stand trial because of mental illness.

Now, we finally have more details about what happened that day in 2019 thanks to Australian court records that were submitted in Leah Remini’s lawsuit against Scientology.

Leah filed the lawsuit on August 2, alleging that she’s been the target of Scientology’s vicious “Fair Game” policy that has targeted her for destruction. Scientology responded by saying that the First Amendment protects the church’s war of words against Leah, and that Leah started the battle with her own words first.

Then, last week, Leah’s legal team submitted about 700 pages of new material, detailing how Scientology’s conduct, not only its words, is the real issue, and that Leah has been victimized by Scientology’s mischaracterizations and falsehoods.

To that end, Leah’s team submitted previously unreleased documents from the Australian courts, spelling out specifically what the court found happened when the security guard was killed, and showing that it had nothing to do with Leah Remini or her show at all.

We figured you’d want to see what is in those documents.

The first is dated August 21, 2020, more than a year after the incident, and notes that the accused, who was 16 at the time, was “a Taiwan national who resided in Taiwan with his family. He does not speak English.”

The boy had stopped taking medication for mental illness in November 2018, just a month before he and his mother came to Australia.

[His mother told police] that when he was eight or nine years of age he was diagnosed with “an emotional disorder.” She told them that when he was 14 years of age he was diagnosed with autism. He has been prescribed Ritalin and Concerta but stopped taking his medication in November 2018 because he did not like it.

Seeking a change of environment for her son [the mother] brought him to Australia, arriving here on 18 December 2018.

In May 2020, a court-appointed doctor had examined the teenager and found that he “has schizophrenia with a background in autism spectrum disorder.”

Two additional experts examined the boy, and the court concluded that he was not fit to be tried.

A second document, dated 23 November 2021, lays out the incident in detail, and we’ve decided to quote it at length.

33 …the accused was raised in Taiwan where he lived with his mother, father and sister. His mother said that the accused was diagnosed as a child with an emotional disorder and autism. His mother describes herself a student of Scientology. She said she was herself interested in Scientology and also thought it would be good for the accused. She attended classes in Taiwan with the accused but then decided it would be good for his health if he was completely removed from his environment in Taiwan. She made arrangements to come to Sydney with the accused to study at the Church of Scientology in Chatswood. The accused arrived in Australia with his mother, each of them on tourist visas on 18 December 2018.

34 The accused’s mother rented a room within a house at Fullers Road, Chatswood, for herself and the accused. The premises were located about a 10-minute walk away from the Church of Scientology in Chatswood.

35 On 19 December 2018 the accused and his mother began attending classes at the Church of Scientology in Chatswood. Classes generally started about 10.00 am and finished between 5.00 pm and 10.00 pm and were conducted seven days per week including public holidays. After about three days of attending classes it became apparent that the accused disagreed with what was being taught. It was agreed that he would stop attending classes but would do odd jobs around the grounds.

36 Around 1 January 2019 an employee of the Church of Scientology in Chatswood approached the accused’s mother and told her that the accused had possession of a novel containing pornographic and violent themes on his MP3 player. The employee suggested that the accused’s mother should delete the novel as it was not good for her son. The accused was not present during this conversation. As a result, the accused’s mother spoke to the accused and told him that what he was reading was not good for him.

37 On Wednesday 2 January 2019, somewhere between 4.00 am and 5.00 am, the accused’s mother took his MP3 player from his bed while the accused was sleeping. She deleted all files that contained written words but did not delete any music or images. Later that day the accused’s mother attended classes at the Church of Scientology as usual and the accused did odd jobs around the grounds.

38 At about 8.15 pm on that day, while his mother was in class, the accused entered the classroom and approached her. There were at the time two teachers and another student present. He said to her (presumably in Mandarin), “Was it you who deleted my data? You deleted my data, didn’t you?” And his mother replied, “I didn’t.” The accused said, “It was you who deleted it. I’ll give you 10 seconds to recover it.” The accused then counted backwards from 10 and, while he did so, his mother said she could not recover the data. When he finished counting, the accused struck his mother on the head with a closed fist. His mother put her head down, placing both of her hands down over the top of her head. The accused struck her to the top of the head and shoulders a further approximately eight times, although the hits were apparently relatively soft and did not result in any injury or bruising. The accused then took his mother by the throat, then let go, whereupon his mother ran over to an area where a television was located and crouched in front of it. The accused followed his mother and kicked her legs and continued to punch her. He then reached for the television and tried to force it on top of his mother but was unable to do so as it was securely attached in place. He then pushed her head towards the television. Two supervisors from the Church of Scientology then took hold of the accused and his mother ran to another room. The accused was then taken back to his accommodation by staff of the Church of Scientology.

39 The accused reported to others that he had assaulted his mother because she had deleted the contents of his MP3 player. One of the persons to whom he reported this was a staff member by the name of Steve Zargon. Mr Zargon told the accused that they would come and see him the following day to help him recover the deleted files on his MP3 player and that he should not come to the church. Arrangements were made for the accused’s mother to stay at the home of another student rather than go back to the premises in Fullers Road.

40 The next day, Thursday 3 January 2019, at about 10.00 am, the accused’s mother attended the Church of Scientology as normal. Somewhere between about 11.00 am and 11.30 am the accused spoke to two other residents at the Fullers Road premises about where he could find the two staff members from the church he had spoken to previously with respect to the deletion of the data on his MP3. At about 12.01 pm the accused walked into the grounds of the Church of Scientology at Chatswood. The events that transpired were captured on closed-circuit television footage. While the footage itself has not been tendered before me, an agreed summary of the contents of that footage has. The following is taken from that agreed summary and other evidence.

41 At the time he entered the grounds of the Church of Scientology the accused was carrying a knife in the right pocket of his shorts. The blade of the knife was silver and the handle was white and grey. The blade was some 4.5 centimetres wide at its widest part and 14.6 centimetres long. The handle of the knife can be seen sticking out from the accused’s pocket. As the accused walked along the driveway of the Church of Scientology, he, on multiple occasions, pulled his T-shirt over the handle of the knife in an attempt to conceal it from view. At this time, Shannan Vaughan was working as a security guard at the church. He was told that the accused was on church grounds and he was given the task of finding out why he was there. Mr Vaughan is unable to speak the accused’s native Mandarin and asked Penny Teng to come with him to translate between him and the accused, to which Ms Teng agreed.

42 As the accused walked along the driveway he was approached by Mr Vaughan and Ms Teng. At around this time Joel Lawrence was using leaf blowers along the driveway. About a minute later Chih-Jen Yeh, also known as Aaron Yeh, approached. Chih-Jen Yeh is the deceased in this matter. The accused, the deceased, Mr Vaughan and Ms Teng were captured on the closed-circuit television conversing. The accused indicated to the others that he had an appointment with someone from the church who was supposed to come to his house and help him retrieve data from his MP3 player but that the person had failed to attend. In the course of this conversation it was established that the accused wanted to see Mr Zargon. Mr Zargon was apparently in a meeting at the time and unable to attend to the accused. The accused, the deceased, Mr Vaughan and Ms Teng continued talking for around 21 minutes. At some point during this time the deceased walked away from the group for a period of two minutes before returning. It was suggested to the accused that he go home and wait for Mr Zargon. The accused declined to do so. He was told by Ms Teng that, because of what he had done the previous evening, a reference to the assault on his mother, he would not be allowed into the building. The accused said that he was going to go inside and find Mr Zargon. He was then told that if he attempted to enter the building it would go into lockdown and no-one, including staff, would be able to enter. There was a period of silence for about 15 seconds following this.

43 At about 12.29 pm, whilst the accused was still standing with the deceased, Mr Vaughan, and Ms Teng, he reached into his right pocket with his right hand and pulled out the knife. At this point, Mr Vaughan was standing with his hands behind his back and the deceased was standing with his hands by his side. The accused then slashed the knife towards Mr Vaughan with an overarm motion whilst simultaneously taking a step towards him. Mr Vaughan to this point had not noticed the knife. He reported thinking that he was about to be punched and consequently stepped back and attempted to deflect the knife by putting his hands in front of him. The knife connected with Mr Vaughan’s right hand, causing a one-centimetre wound on the palm near his index finger. Immediately following this, the accused stabbed the deceased to the left side of his neck. The stab wound was about 4 centimetres wide and 8.5 centimetres deep. The deceased stepped back and placed his hand on his neck. Mr Vaughan heard the deceased making a gurgling sound. The accused then swung the knife in the direction of Ms Teng. She, as a result, sustained a small cut on her left forearm. She ran towards reception to call for help. The deceased was able to scramble to the other side of the driveway with the assistance of Mr Vaughan before falling to the ground, face down, and remaining motionless. The accused, still holding the knife in his right hand, ran towards Mr Vaughan.

44 The accused twice swung the knife towards Mr Vaughan but on each occasion Mr Vaughan was able to successfully take evasive action. Mr Lawrence, who, as earlier indicated, was in the vicinity, picked up his leaf blower and ran towards the accused. The accused turned towards Mr Lawrence, who held the leaf blower in front of him for protection. The accused then turned back to Mr Vaughan and swung the knife at him a further two times, Mr Vaughan again dodging the knife. Mr Lawrence held the leaf blower out in front of him, attempting to place it between the accused and Mr Vaughan. The accused turned towards Mr Lawrence, and then back towards Mr Vaughan.

45 The accused then walked towards Mr Vaughan while still holding the knife in his right hand. Mr Vaughan walked backwards away from the accused. Mr Lawrence approached the deceased and administered first aid by placing pressure on the wound. At this point the deceased was struggling to breathe and was unresponsive.

46 Timothy Rickman was having lunch in the garden nearby. He saw the events unfold and dialled triple-0. Edward Dickey was also in the vicinity with another person. He was also able to call triple-0 and the other person ran to call for help. Mr Vaughan held out his hands towards the accused, attempting to calm him. The accused again swung the knife at Mr Vaughan.

47 A number of people approached, one of whom heard the accused say in Mandarin words to the effect of “I need to find a man named Steve. I’ll give you two minutes to find him. Otherwise I’ll kill everyone else here.” The situation continued in a similar vein, with the accused swinging the knife towards Mr Vaughan, Mr Vaughan moving backwards holding up his arms and attempting to calm the accused.

48 There were further attempts to calm him and further attacks made, whereby the accused swung the knife towards Mr Vaughan and others. This continued until about 12.36 pm, when police arrived. They drew their weapons, and the accused was ordered to put the knife on the ground and to get down on the ground. The accused threw the knife down in front of police. He knelt on the ground, before being placed face down on the ground and handcuffed. Mr Vaughan assisted police to detain the accused by holding his legs. Police then relieved Mr Lawrence and maintained pressure on the deceased’s neck.

49 At about 12.40 pm paramedics arrived and attended on the deceased, who had remained unconscious the entire time. A CareFlight doctor attended the scene, and at 1.10 pm the deceased was conveyed by ambulance to the Royal North Shore Hospital, arriving at 1.18 pm. A green light corridor escort was arranged. He was, sadly, declared deceased shortly after arriving at the hospital.

50 Mr Vaughan was seen by paramedics. A small wound was located on his right hand. The wound was irrigated and dressed by paramedics. He was then taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital by ambulance.

It’s clear from these documents that Scientology knew what had happened, that the young man was merely angry about his mother removing some content from his device, and that the boy thought a Scientologist staffer could help him retrieve the deleted files.

The boy spoke no English, and there was no mention at any time of Leah Remini or her television show.

That was added later, when Scientology attempted to capitalize on this tragedy in order to attack an ex-member who was speaking out about them.

And yet, to this day Scientology continues to claim that Leah Remini has “blood on her hands” for what happened to Yeh, the security guard who was killed in 2019.

Will Leah’s legal team be able to convince an American judge that this is significant evidence in her lawsuit? We’ll be watching.

---

Want to help?

Please consider joining the Underground Bunker as a paid subscriber. Your $7 a month will go a long way to helping this news project stay independent, and you’ll get access to our special material for subscribers. Or, you can support the Underground Bunker with a Paypal contribution to bunkerfund@tonyortega.org, an account administered by the Bunker’s attorney, Scott Pilutik. And by request, this is our Venmo link, and for Zelle, please use (tonyo94 AT gmail).

---

Thank you for reading today’s story here at Substack. For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:

Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time

Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology

Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain

Here’s the link to today’s post at tonyortega.org

And whatever you do, subscribe to this Substack so you get our breaking stories and daily features right to your email inbox every morning.

Paid subscribers get access to two special podcast series every week…

Up the Bridge: A weekly journey through Scientology’s actual “technology”

Group Therapy: Our round table of rowdy regulars on the week’s new