A Queens woman has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing Jim Li, a civil rights activist and her pro-bono immigration lawyer, after he dropped her as a client, the Queens district attorney’s office reported Thursday.
Xiaoning Zhang, a 27-year-old Flushing resident, was found guilty last month of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment, in the death of Li, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Li, a prominent civil rights figure and legal scholar known for participating in the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising in China, had taken Zhang on as a pro bono client and was representing her in an asylum case, officials said.
“Jim Li was an activist in China and became a well-regarded immigration attorney here in the United States, where he represented those seeking political asylum,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Li agreed to represent defendant Xiaoning Zhang pro bono in her case, until she admitted to lying on her application and he subsequently dropped her as a client. Zhang could not accept this and days after being told never to return to the law office, she came back armed with two kitchen knives. She violently and viciously stabbed Li, killing him.”
On March 11, 2022, Zhang visited Li’s Flushing law office and demanded he remove a photograph of her at a protest in front of the United Nations posted online, the DA’s office reports. When Li refused to take the picture down, Zhang became enraged and revealed she had lied on her asylum application, trial testimony reads. After Li told Zhang to leave the office, she began to choke him, resulting in the police being called and Zhang being removed from the building, prosecutors said.
Three days later, on March 14, 2022, Zhang returned to Li’s office armed with two knives and stabbed Li in the chest and neck, according to officials. She was reportedly in possession of a paring knife and larger kitchen knife.
Katz stated that an office worker intervened and held Zhang down until police arrived, and Li was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“A jury convicted Zhang and today a judge sentenced her to the maximum penalty under law,” Katz said Thursday. “It is our hope that with this sentencing, the family, loved ones and legal community can find some solace in knowing the defendant has been held accountable for her crimes.”
