Current:Home > StocksGrand jury indicts farmworker charged in Northern California mass shootings-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Grand jury indicts farmworker charged in Northern California mass shootings
View Date:2025-01-09 22:01:39
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A farmworker charged with killing seven people last year in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms was indicted by a grand jury in an effort by prosecutors to move the case along, authorities said.
Chunli Zhao was in court Tuesday to be arraigned on seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, but his arraignment was continued until Feb. 29, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in an email.
Zhao was charged last year in the Jan. 23, 2023, killings of seven people in Half Moon Bay. He pleaded not guilty last February. But the case has dragged on with a preliminary hearing not set until March, and that has now been vacated, Wagstaffe said.
The grand jury indictment supersedes the criminal complaint and bypasses the need for a preliminary hearing, skipping one step in the legal process and advancing the case, he said.
“I know that extensive delays impose a very negative impact on victims’ families and we try to move cases along when the case seems to be dragging on. That is why we sought to seek the Grand Jury Indictment,” Wagstaffe said.
The next step is for Zhao to enter a plea on the grand jury indictment charges at the February hearing, he said.
Prosecutors say Zhao began the shooting rampage at California Terra Garden after his supervisor there demanded he pay a $100 repair bill for his forklift after he was involved in a crash with a co-worker’s bulldozer. They say he killed four co-workers and wounded another one before driving to Concord Farms, a mushroom farm he was fired from in 2015. There, he shot to death three former co-workers.
Zhao admitted to the shootings during a jailhouse media interview days after the killings and told KNTV-TV he was bullied and worked long hours on the farms.
The killings shed light on the substandard housing the farms provided to their workers. After the shooting, San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller visited the housing at California Terra Garden, where some of its workers lived along with their families, and he described it as “deplorable” and “heartbreaking.”
Muller, who represents Half Moon Bay and other agricultural towns, posted photos on social media showing a shipping container and sheds used as homes.
Terra Garden’s owners agreed to build new permanent homes on a separate area of the farm for its employees and their families and provide them affordable housing during the year it would take to construct them. But a year after the shooting, permanent housing has not yet been built, the Mercury News reported.
veryGood! (74)
Related
- What to know about Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney, who died Friday
- Aging Wind Farms Are Repowering with Longer Blades, More Efficient Turbines
- See pictures and videos of the Canadian wildfires and their impact across the planet
- Exxon Accused of Pressuring Witnesses in Climate Fraud Case
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Midwest Flooding Exposes Another Oil Pipeline Risk — on Keystone XL’s Route
- The Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Climate Change. Is it Ready to Decide Which Courts Have Jurisdiction?
- North Dakota colleges say Minnesota's free tuition plan catastrophic for the state
- The 15 quickest pickup trucks MotorTrend has ever tested
- Migrant boat disaster: What to know about the tragedy off the coast of Greece
Ranking
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- Prince Harry Feared Being Ousted By Royals Over Damaging Rumor James Hewitt Is His Dad
- To See Offshore Wind Energy’s Future, Look on Shore – in Massachusetts
- Go Hands-Free With 70% Off Deals on Coach Belt Bags
- Taylor Swift's Mom Andrea Gives Sweet Nod to Travis Kelce at Chiefs Game
- EPA Plans to Rewrite Clean Water Act Rules to Fast-Track Pipelines
- Man with weapons and Jan. 6 warrant arrested after running toward Obamas' D.C. home
- Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor and Little Miss Sunshine star, dies at 89
Recommendation
-
Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
-
A Kentucky Power Plant’s Demise Signals a Reckoning for Coal
-
Idaho Murder Case: Ethan Chapin's Mom Shares How Family Is Coping After His Death
-
19 Father's Day Gift Ideas for Your Husband That He'll Actually Love
-
Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
-
Illinois Passes Tougher Rules on Toxic Coal Ash Over Risks to Health and Rivers
-
Pence meets with Zelenskyy in Ukraine in surprise trip
-
Kaley Cuoco Reveals Her Daughter Matilda Is Already Obsessed With the Jonas Brothers