The murder of community celebrities Josephine Lin and her husband Shan Lin is suspected to be related to conflicts over money, police said yesterday. Although they didn’t confirm this motive of the homicide yet, the NYPD’s 90th Precinct, which is investigating the Lin case, is focusing on conflicts between the former welfare apartment building board member Mrs. Lin and prospective tenants. The police are also paying attention to the six insurance policies the couple owned.

The homicide shocked the Chinese community, where the victims were quite well-known. Although most people praised the Lins’ generosity and contributions to the community, occasional negative comments surfaced in the media since yesterday. The police also received these comments and are trying to find some clue from them.

Sing Tao reported the murder on Wednesday and received many phone calls from readers about the story. Some readers claimed that when they applied for the government apartment building where the victims lived, board member Mrs. Lin asked for a big bribe. Although most people familiar with the victims don’t believe it, the police said they won’t exclude the possibility. A detective in the 90th precinct said they also received a phone call from a Chinese person who disclosed a conflict between him and Mrs. Lin over the money associated with an apartment application. The detective said police is focusing on these clues. The detective also said, although the victims had been warm-hearted and helpful to the community, there are some who found their behavior controversial. He urged these people to contact the police and assist the investigation.

Meanwhile, the police also found three insurance policies each for the Lins on their computer. The beneficiaries are their three children. But the police said that because Mrs. Lin also worked in the insurance industry, it was not unusual that the couple owned several insurance policies at once.

Mrs. Lin, 65, and her husband, 70, were found dead in their apartment by their son at 11:00 p.m. on Jan. 28. The victims were found bound with duck tape and had been suffocated with plastic bags and strangled. The Lins emigrated from Taiwan in the 1970s and since became political activists. They donated thousands of dollars over the years to Republicans, including the New York Governor George Pataki.

Lindsay Park House, where the victims lived, is a government sponsored co-op apartment building complex in Brooklyn. It includes six buildings, in which 40 percent of the tenants are Chinese Americans. Some tenants told the police they paid huge deposits to the board to get an apartment, and that even the application for a parking space required a big deposit.