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Jury decision in karaoke assault retrial expected Thursday

June 3, 2015
<p>Meng Long Li stands waiting during his retrial May 27 at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing. Asha Johnson/The State News</p>

Meng Long Li stands waiting during his retrial May 27 at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing. Asha Johnson/The State News

Photo by Asha Johnson | The State News

The retrial in the case of 25-year-old defendant and MSU alumnus Meng Long Li continued with his testimony Tuesday. The defendant's testimony served as the last eye witness account of the trial before closing arguments and a final decision is made on the case Thursday.

Meng Long Li is accused of assaulting MSU student Yan Li at Limit Pool & Karaoke Club in Meridian Township on Jan. 31, 2014 and the retrial comes after a jury was unable to reach a decision on the matter during a previous trial in February 2015. 

In that trial, Shan Gao — another MSU student and defendant — was found not guilty of all charges.

Meng Long Li is charged with the intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the LSJ.

It is alleged Meng Long Li committed the crime as part of an alleged Chinese student gang attack. The alleged "Chengguan" gang at MSU drives around campus with identifying stickers on their vehicles.

The name Chengguan refers to a lower level police authority in China. Witnesses at the trial have varying opinions on whether the reputation of Chengguan is good or bad.

In Meng Long Li's case, he testified that while he is familiar with some of the members of chengguan, he denies any gang affiliation with the group.

Yan Li testified that Meng Long Li confronted him on the night of Jan. 31, 2014 and recognized him from a previous scuffle the two were involved in at Hong's Cafe in Nov. 2013.

Yan Li alleged after the two recognized each other, Meng Long Li followed him back to a karaoke room, pushed his girlfriend aside and began beating him over the head with a water pitcher. Yan Li was later given 10 staples in the back of his head to repair the wound.

In court, Meng Long Li testified he did indeed confront Yan Li. However, he says it was to find out why Yan Li was asking for his phone number. He said he was worried Yan Li was trying to "stir something up" and accuse him of assault in November.

Yan Li denies asking for his phone number.

Meng Long Li also testified that while he was present in the room at the time of Yan Li's assault, it was not he who committed the crime. Meng Long Li alleged that after telling a friend about the phone number incident, a group of people got worked up about it and followed Yan Li back into his karaoke room and assaulted him. 

Meng Long Li said he followed the group in to stop the fight, but couldn't get there in time.

According to multiple eyewitness accounts, the fight ended in less than a minute. Police were called to the scene.

However, something Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney Kimberly Hesse questioned Meng Long Li on was one particular fact he testified to, that he gave MSU student Zhijie Bao a ride home after the assault took place. Meng Long Li alleged in court that it was Zhijie Bao he saw — along with a few others — committing the crime.

Later that night, Meng Long Li heard a knock on his door in Owen Hall and was brought in for questioning by Meridian Township police and was told several eyewitnesses at the scene had said it was he who assaulted Yan Li. Meng Long Li denied this and, despite having no evidence of scratches or blood on his clothes, was arrested.

The courtroom broke for recess at noon on Tuesday and will continue Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. with closing arguments and an expected jury decision.

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