The two Chinese students accused of beating a third Chinese student at a karaoke bar Jan. 31, 2014, the night of the Chinese New Year, didn’t go there intending to celebrate. Instead, they were looking to “raise hell,” the prosecutor said in her closing argument Tuesday.
At the karaoke bar that night, alumnus and defendant Meng Long Li approached victim and current student Yan Li, asking him “Do you remember me from last time?” referring to a scuffle that occurred between them nearly three months ealier, according to previous testimony from Yan Li that Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Hesse restated.
Yan Li, who just left his private room to grab his phone charger, replied “no” and ran back to the room. But it was too late — Meng Long Li, Shan Gao and a group of others descended upon Yan Li, with someone pushing him down and others beating him repeatedly with their fists and a water pitcher, Hesse said.
Hesse, citing Yan Li’s prior testimony, claimed that moments before the assault Meng Long Li shouted, “Beat him to death!”
According to previous testimony, Yan Li was struck on the head with the plastic water pitcher until it broke, causing a 4-centimeter long, 1-centimeter deep laceration behind his right ear that required three sutures and 10 staples.
It is disputed if Gao, the other defendant, ever entered the karaoke bar and, if he did, whether he assaulted Yan Li or was just a lookout man in the attack.
Hesse, using Yan Li prior testimony, argued Gao was within arm’s length of the victim during the assault and, given the multiple blows Yan Li received, it was possible Gao had used force.
But Patrick Crowley, Gao’s defense attorney, reiterated in his closing argument that many of the testifying witnesses had either not seen his client at the karaoke bar that night or had seen Gao in a car arguing with his girlfriend at the time of the assault.
And though Yan Li’s previous testimony identifies Meng Long Li as the assailant who picked up the plastic water pitcher, other witnesses testifying prior maintained Meng Long Li had attempted to pull attackers off Yan Li.
In his closing argument Chris Bergstrom, who is Meng Long Li’s defense attorney, cited that when MSU police and Meridian Township police questioned his client shortly after the assault, Meng Long Li had no blood on his clothing and no injuries on his hands that indicated he had fought someone earlier that night.
The assault is allegedly connected with a group of Chinese students who call themselves “Chengguan.” In her previous opening statement, Hesse said the group is really a gang in which Meng Long Li is an enforcer and Gao a lower-level middle man.
“Meng Long Li and Shan Gao and all of their friends wanted everyone to know that they are the top dog,” Hesse said in her closing argument. “They drive around in their fancy cars with the Chengguan stickers in the windows, alerting everyone that they run the Chinese scene on campus.”
Hesse claimed the group uses fear, intimidation and physical violence to gain notoriety on campus. But the claim is disputed by other witnesses who have testified the alleged gang is merely a group of friends.
The name of the group is the same as that of a Chinese police agency who “clean the streets” of illegal vendors and issue parking tickets, Meng Long Li said in previous testimony. Though he said the agency’s reputation is not very good, other testimony tiptoed around characterizing the agency as being a peaceful or violent one.
The jury is currently in deliberation and should reach a verdict sometime this week.
