A woman has been charged with the murder of a Queens immigration lawyer all because he declined to take on her case.
The irate woman stabbed attorney Jim Li, 66, repeatedly in the chest Monday morning, police sources and a friend said.
He was at his office located at 136-56 39th Ave. in Flushing when 25-year-old Xiaoning Zhang stabbed him around 11:45 a.m., the New York Post reported.
Li was transported by ambulance to New York Presbyterian-Booth Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Zhang, who is a Queens resident, was slapped with charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Authorities recovered two knives at the scene, sources said.
The victim’s friend, lawyer Wayne Zhu, told news reporters that the tragic event took place after Li decided he would not represent the woman.
Zhu also said when police showed up that day they took the woman away, despite Li urging them not to press charges.
“He treats his clients very well, very nice,” Zhu said. “Even when this woman made trouble in the office, police came to drive her away. Mr. Li told the police ‘please, do not arrest her,’” recalled the friend.
Li took part in the Tiananmen Square protests in China, which occurred before he came to the U.S., and acted as legal counsel while studying law at Peking University, according to his friend.
Li was then imprisoned in China for about a year-and-a-half, Zhu added. Once he was released, he left the country to continue his education at Wisconsin University.
“He’s one of the best men,” Zhu said. “I will miss him. I lost my friend. Flushing lost a good lawyer.”
