A Flushing woman admitted she killed a man who was found dead in her bed exactly three years ago.
Haiyan Deng, 34, of 39th Avenue, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court on Wednesday to manslaughter in the first degree and other related charges for the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Justin Li on Sept. 18, 2021.
According to the charges, on the evening of Sept. 11, 2021, Deng unlawfully entered the home owned by the victim’s family in Bayside and attacked Li’s wife. Deng was subsequently issued a summons by law enforcement and later charged with burglary for the incident.
On the night of Sept. 19, 2021, first responders conducted a wellness check at Deng’s 39th Avenue apartment in Flushing after Li’s wife reported that he did not come home that evening. Upon arriving at Deng’s residence, the first responders found Li alone and unresponsive in Deng’s bed. He was bleeding from an apparent single gunshot wound to the head. No shell casings were found, but a fired bullet was recovered from the pillow on the bed. Video surveillance from that day showed the victim arriving at the location with Deng in his vehicle on Sept. 18. They were both observed walking into her building at approximately 5:40 a.m.
Nearly two hours later, Deng was seen leaving her building alone with multiple bags in hand, getting into the victim’s vehicle and speeding away. Deng was apprehended in New Mexico on Sept. 22, 2021, after the car she was driving broke down on the side of the road. New Mexico State Troopers recovered personal property belonging to the victim and a loaded revolver from the car. The revolver was a ballistic match to the bullet recovered from the defendant’s bedroom. Deng was then extradited back to Queens to face charges.
“Following a strong case built by my office, the defendant has admitted guilt for shooting and killing a young man inside her own home,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “A life was needlessly lost, and the defendant now faces a lengthy prison sentence for her criminal actions.”
In addition to the manslaughter charge, Deng pleaded guilty to a burglary charge. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant indicated that she would sentence Deng to 22 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and five years on the burglary charge, to run consecutively for a total of 27 years in prison.
“We hope that the plea will provide even a small measure of closure to the victim’s loved ones,” Katz said.
The sentencing date was set for Oct. 16.
