REDWOOD CITY: A 66-year-old immigrant farm worker was formally charged with premeditated murder on Wednesday in the fatal shooting of seven co-workers near San Francisco, the second of two gun rampages in California in recent days in which 18 people were killed.
Chunli Zhao, a Chinese citizen and the lone suspect in Monday's massacre at two mushroom farms in the seaside town of Half Moon Bay, was formally presented with seven counts of murder and a single count of attempted murder during his first court appearance in nearby Redwood City.
Zhao, wearing red-coloured jail garb and enclosed behind a glass panel, was ordered held without bond during a brief hearing before a San Mateo County Superior Court judge. The pudgy defendant, with close-cropped gray hair, was expressionless through the hearing. He was assigned two private defence lawyers; no plea was entered.
The next court proceeding in the case was set for February 16.
A Mandarin-language translator was provided for the defendant, who according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe is a Chinese citizen who has lived in the United States for at least 10 years.
After the hearing, Wagstaffe told reporters outside the courthouse that prosecutors have not yet determined Zhao's precise immigration status, or whether he entered the country legally.
The prosecutor said authorities do have an idea about the suspect's motives but declined to share any details. Wagstaffe also revealed the existence of one clue, saying a note was found inside Zhao's car, though he declined to disclose what it said.
The district attorney said Zhao was "cooperative" when initially interviewed by authorities following his arrest and gave "a complete statement."
Still, the expectation is that Zhao will enter a not-guilty plea as the proceedings progress, "and we want to make sure this man gets a fair trial," Wagstaffe said.
In addition to eight felony counts, the 10-page criminal complaint alleges "special circumstances," accusing Zhao of "personally and intentionally" shooting to kill.
Under California law, defendants convicted of murder with "special circumstances" can be eligible for the death penalty, though Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 declared a moratorium on executions. The state has not put a condemned inmate to death since 2006.
Otherwise, the maximum sentence is life in prison without the possibility of parole, Wagstaffe said.
Late on Wednesday, Vice-President Kamala Harris paid a condolence visit to the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, where 11 people were killed in a separate rampage at a ballroom dance hall on Saturday night by a gunman who later took his own life.
Harris, a California native, laid flowers at a memorial set up outside the dance studio, and in brief comments to reporters called for Congress to enact tougher national gun-safety measures. She then met privately with victims' families.
California's firearm laws are among the strictest in the country, and the two shootings, coming in quick succession, left the state reeling from one of the bloodiest spates of mass gun violence in decades.
Authorities said each of the two killing sprees represented the single greatest loss of life from a single act of violence in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties. - Reuters
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