Queens, NY- Xiaoning Zhang, 27, has been convicted of murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and other charges in the killing of her immigration lawyer, Jim Li, who had recently stopped representing her.
District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the conviction, highlighting Li’s reputation as both a skilled immigration attorney and an activist during the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. Zhang, a resident of Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, was found guilty of second-degree murder, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree menacing, obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and second-degree harassment. The verdict was reached by a jury after trial openings on September 9 and closings on September 19, with deliberations lasting one day.
The conflict began on March 11, 2022, when police were called to Li’s Flushing office. Zhang demanded that Li assist in removing a photo of her at a United Nations protest from the internet, a request he refused. Zhang then admitted to falsifying her asylum application, which led Li to cease representing her. Following this, Zhang choked Li but was escorted out by police and warned not to return