Flushing resident Quiming Wan was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in Queens Supreme Court on Tuesday morning for the November 2021 murder and sexual abuse of Jiaomei Zhou, a 29-year-old woman whose battered body he carried from his blood-soaked apartment to the lobby before being stopped by building residents.
Wan, 55, of Main Street, was convicted by a jury in October of murder in the second degree, aggravated sexual abuse in the first degree and other related crimes after a nearly two-week-long trial.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on the night of Nov. 1, 2021, police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress at Wan’s apartment building at 55-26 Main St. and upon entering the lobby area, saw the victim unconscious and unresponsive with blood on her pants. EMS responded to the location and pronounced Zhou dead at the scene.
A search by detectives revealed blood on the door frame of Wan’s second-floor apartment, the floor of his bedroom, and on the mattress, desk chair, and bedroom wall. Two bloody rags were found inside the bathroom, and multiple blood-covered items, including towels and a woman’s tank top, were in a laundry bag hidden in Wan’s bedroom closet. Wan had blood on his feet and underwear.
An autopsy determined that Zhou, of 24th Avenue in Flushing, died from penetrating blunt force trauma of the perineum and pelvis. The fatal injury was caused by a blunt object repeatedly inserted into her pelvis, causing extensive internal damage.
“A dangerous person will now be sent to prison for the incredibly brutal murder of Jiaomei Zhou,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Quiming Wan attempted to get away with the crime by hiding evidence and removing the lifeless body of Ms. Zhou from his apartment, but fortunately, police arrived in time to apprehend him.”
The jury also found Wan guilty of sexual abuse in the first degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise sentenced Wan to 25 years to life in prison.
“I hope this sentence provides some solace to the victim’s loved ones as they continue to grieve her loss,” Katz said.