SHANGHAI, China — In the two short weeks the 22-year-old Canadian model was in China, she found only disappointment, and then a violent death during a robbery.
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The seemingly random slaying so soon before the Olympic Games has shocked a city that prides itself as China's most modern. It also raised questions about a freewheeling fashion scene that lures growing numbers of young foreigners — who find some job requests require no posing for the camera.
Days after Diana O'Brien's body was discovered, police in Shanghai said Friday they had arrested 18-year-old Chen Jun. Police said Chen confessed to killing the model.
The slaying embarrassed police, who waited two days after O'Brien's body was found to release a statement — a brief two sentences — about her death. The details of O'Brien's death remain unclear.
O'Brien's death has motivated some in the industry to take security more seriously.
A few hours after Friday's arrest, Sarah Feng, owner of TiModels, sent a text: "We're hiring a pro trainer to design and teach a self-defense workshop for all of our models as part of the response to the tragic event.”
