In a case involving the alleged murder of New York prominent lawyer Jim Li, the trial of Zhang Xiaoning entered its fifth day on September 16 (Monday) with four witnesses testifying. The courtroom replayed the process of Li Jinjin being stabbed to death by Zhang Xiaoning during her trial at the 109th precinct in the afternoon. Discrepancies were observed between Zhang Xiaoning’s testimony, witness accounts from the law firm of Jim Li, and the video recorded by a police body camera, indicating that she was lying.
The four witnesses that day were Li Jinjin’s assistant Chris Li, Officer Wong from the 109th precinct who acted as a Chinese translator, a detective from the 109th precinct, and the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Li Jinjin. The trial video showed Zhang Xiaoning requesting to contact the Chinese embassy for assistance; she admitted to taking out several Chinese flags in the office; she refused to answer questions about the crime process, saying “I crossed over at that moment”; and when asked about the blood on her, she claimed, “I think it’s normal.”
Chris Li, Li Jinjin’s assistant, mainly recounted the events of March 14, 2022, when Li Jinjin was attacked. He described how he wrestled the knife from Zhang Xiaoning’s hand and an incident three days before the attack where Zhang Xiaoning caused a disturbance at Li Jinjin’s law firm, grabbing Li Jinjin by the throat and threatening “a life for a life.”
On the afternoon of March 11, 2022, Zhang Xiaoning created a scene at the law firm, claiming she wasn’t persecuted in China and accusing Li Jinjin of not believing her. Li Jinjin decided to drop her case after this incident, to which Zhang Xiaoning demanded an apology, defended the Chinese government’s actions in events like the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, and urged Li Jinjin to stop engaging in democracy activities, claiming she wouldn’t be persecuted by the Communist Party.
After Zhang Xiaoning choked Li Jinjin, the law firm called the police. When they arrived, Li Jinjin, considering Zhang Xiaoning’s young age, requested a warning instead of an arrest. Chris Li detailed the moment when he heard Joyce, the secretary, scream, and rushed to find Li Jinjin stabbed and Zhang Xiaoning holding the knife.
The trial on September 16 also revisited the video of Zhang Xiaoning at the 109th precinct in the afternoon of March 14, 2022, with a Chinese translator provided by the police. Discrepancies were found between her answers, the witness testimonies, and the video recorded by the police body camera.
During questioning, Zhang Xiaoning asked to contact the Chinese embassy and urged Li Jinjin not to abandon her case. She then mentioned taking out Chinese flags and claimed she had a surreal feeling during the incident.
One pro-democracy activist who attended the trial commented that Zhang’s cunning and fabrication of lies were evident in her testimony. For instance, the video captured by the police body camera showed Li Jinjin collapsing face down with a pool of blood, contradicting Zhang’s claims of the incident.
The court presented photos of Li Jinjin’s body and the knife wounds. The medical examiner testified that Li Jinjin suffered four stab wounds and two slash wounds, with the most severe being a 3/4-inch stab wound to his neck that severed the jugular vein and carotid artery, leading to fatal blood loss.
Li Jinjin also had a 1.5-inch stab wound to his right chest, puncturing his lung; a 2.5-inch stab wound to his left chest, penetrating his rib cage and entering the upper lobe of his left lung; and a 1.75-inch stab wound to his left upper abdomen, piercing the small intestine.
Zhang Xiaoning’s lawyer stated that she requested to represent herself. The trial will continue with the jury on September 17 (Tuesday).