Soldier accused of murder, military desertion after wife found in dumpster in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – Before Khuang Par, 27, was found dead in a dumpster in Indianapolis last month, a court granted her protection from her husband, court records show.

Police believe Par was the victim of domestic abuse by Peter Van Bawi Lian in Colorado Springs, Colorado, according to a probable-cause affidavit. Documents say Lian choked his wife during an argument. He reportedly yelled, "I'm going to kill you," in their native language, Burmese, before releasing her neck.

A protective order was issued Dec. 3, after Lian was arrested in Colorado Springs on charges of second-degree assault and menacing, the affidavit states.

Weeks later, Par's body was discovered on the south side of Indianapolis, police said.

On Wednesday, Lian, 21, was charged with murder in Par's death. The U.S. Army soldier is also accused of military desertion, according to a press release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Wife's body found in trash container

Police say Par's body was found the morning of Dec. 23. According to the affidavit, a homeless woman spotted a suitcase as she was putting an Aldi's shopping bag in a dumpster. She didn't open it, the woman told police, but reached inside and touched what she believed was a body.

The woman then alerted a man who lives in an apartment in the area, the affidavit said. He told police he walked to the dumpster and called 911 after seeing a partially unzipped suitcase containing what appeared to be a body.

An autopsy ruled Par's death a homicide.

Par had returned to Indianapolis on Dec. 1 to be with her family after Lian's arrest, police said in the news release.

Police believe Lian, who was on active duty at the time of Par's killing, flew from Colorado Springs, near the Fort Carson Army base, to Indianapolis to commit the murder, authorities said. After his arrest in Colorado Springs, Lian was required to leave his residence due to the protective order, the affidavit said. He moved into a building at Fort Carson.

Police say Lian traveled to Indianapolis

Lian was last seen at the Army base on Dec. 21. Flight records show he departed from the airport on a commercial flight in Colorado Springs the next morning and arrived in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that afternoon, IMPD Chris Craighill wrote in the affidavit. He then got on a flight to Indianapolis, Craighill wrote, arriving at around 4 p.m. on Dec. 22.

Records show Lian boarded another commercial flight the morning Par's body was found. This time he headed to Hong Kong, according to the affidavit. He then boarded another flight to Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 24, court documents say.

Lian was due back on the base the day after Christmas, the affidavit said, but didn't show up. Army officials declared him absent without leave. A military desertion warrant for Lian was filed on Dec. 26, according to court documents.

It's unclear where police believe Lian is now or exactly when Par was killed.

The affidavit says Lian is from Indianapolis and his parents still live in the city. 

Follow Crystal Hill on Twitter: @crysnhill.

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