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San Mateo County DA seeks death penalty for Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect

It represents the first capital case in San Mateo County in over 15 years under California’s 2019 execution moratorium.

Chunli Zhao in San Mateo Superior Court in Redwood City, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. The DA said Tuesday he will seek the death penalty against Zhao for the mass shootings that killed seven people.
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Chunli Zhao wipes a tear during a hearing at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood City, California, on Feb. 10, 2023. Zhao has been charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the mass shooting on Jan. 23, in Half Moon Bay. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/TNS)

Overview

  • District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced on June 3 that he will pursue the death penalty for Chunli Zhao, accused of killing seven farmworkers and wounding another in the Jan. 23, 2023 attacks.
  • The decision breaks a more than 15-year hiatus on capital cases in San Mateo County despite Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 moratorium on executions.
  • Prosecutors allege Zhao’s rampage at California Terra Garden and Concord Farms was triggered by a workplace grudge over a $100 equipment repair bill.
  • Zhao, 68, surrendered to authorities hours after the shootings and remains held without bail as his trial date has yet to be set.
  • The 2023 massacre exposed deplorable farmworker housing and spurred local reforms aimed at improving living conditions for migrant laborers.