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发帖数: 4465 | 1 IOWA CITY — A former University of Iowa student suspected of suffocating
his girlfriend, hiding her body in the trunk of her car and fleeing to his
native China has surrendered there to stand trial, local authorities
announced Monday.
Xiangnan Li, 23, a former business student at the UI, faces an “intentional
homicide” charge in China for the death of 23-year-old Tong Shao, who was
a student at Iowa State University when she went missing.
According to a news release from the Iowa City Police Department, Li
surrendered May 13 to officials in Wenzhou, China. The Criminal
Investigation Bureau of China sent a team of investigators to Iowa City to
review evidence in the homicide case, officials said. On June 19, the People
’s Prosecutor of Wenzhou arrested Li for the crime of intentional homicide.
Shao’s body was discovered in the trunk of her Toyota Camry on Sept. 26,
2014, in the parking complex where Li lived in southeast Iowa City.
According to the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office, Shao died of
suffocation, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Li, who was quickly labeled a person of interest in the case by police, had
already returned to China by the time her body was found.
Search warrants filed in the case suggest Shao might actually have been
killed in a hotel in Nevada, Iowa, that she and Li used to visit. Li and
Shao stayed at the Budget Inn and Suites on Sept. 5-7, 2014, and had
previously stayed at the hotel in 2013 and 2014. The hotel’s owner, Ken
Patel, told authorities he saw Shao walking through the lobby of the hotel
on Sept. 6.
Patel said Li left the hotel sometime between the evening hours of Sept. 6
and the early morning hours of Sept. 6, which was unusual for him.
A “Premium Quality” towel — the same kind used at the Budget Inn — was
found wrapped around Shao’s head when her body was found.
Li booked a trip to China on Sept. 6 and authorities said in Monday’s news
release that they believe Shao was killed on Sept. 7. Li’s flight left on
Sept. 8. That same day, one of Shao’s roommates received a text message
from her phone indicating she was taking a bus to visit friends in Minnesota
. The message — which authorities believe was sent by Li — also said there
was an emergency in China and that Shao would have Li’s phone, which was
allegedly low on battery, according to court documents.
Li, however, used his phone to make calls while on a layover in Chicago.
Li was the former boyfriend of Shao’s, and authorities believe he has been
in China since her death.
Shao was first reported missing to the Ames Police Department on Sept. 17,
nine days after her former roommates last heard from her.
According to the release, “the Chinese apply the law to its citizens even
if he or she commits a crime abroad,” which suggests Li will be tried for
the murder of Shao in China.
“The 232 item of the Criminal Law of the [People’s Republic of China] read
the intentional killer will be punished up to the death sentence, life
imprisonment or imprisonment for ten years,” the release states.
One of Li’s friends, Karen Yang, told police that Li had called Shao days
before her death and Shao answered without realizing it. Li overheard Shao
talking to another man. During their conversation, Shao allegedly complained
to the other man about Li and “said things about him that were not nice,”
according to court documents.
“The Chinese apply the law to its citizens even if he or she commits a
crime abroad,” Monday’s release said. That suggests Li will be tried for
Shao’s murder in China.
If convicted in Chinese court, Li faces “death, life imprisonment or fixed-
term imprisonment of not less than ten years,” according to an English-
language version of criminal law in the People’s Republic of China posted
on the website of the National People’s Congress, which is China’s
parliament.
Shao’s disappearance and death last fall attracted international attention,
with several Chinese media outlets reporting on the case. | c****g
发帖数: 37081 | |
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