Last May 29, Yuexi (Alex) Lei pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and some firearms charges
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A man who pleaded guilty last year to playing a role in the 2020 murder plot that left alleged money launderer Jian Jun Zhu dead has applied to withdraw his plea.
Last May 29, Yuexi (Alex) Lei pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and to some firearms charges.
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He was awaiting sentencing when he appeared in B.C. Supreme Court on April 18 to apply to withdraw the guilty pleas. The Supreme Court registry confirmed Monday that the plea withdrawal application had been made.
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Lei’s name has been mentioned repeatedly in the continuing trial of Richard Reed, who is charged with the first-degree murder of Zhu and the attempted murder of his associate Paul King Jin on Sept. 18, 2020.
Justice Jeanne Watchuk has heard that Lei lived in a house on Bowcock Road in Richmond that was used for illegal gambling and where police found a unique Calvin Klein hoodie like the one worn by Zhu’s killer. The hoodie was found partly burnt in a pot in the garage of the home after the murder.
On Tuesday, Rogers employee David Mak testified that cellular records show a phone linked to Reed was bouncing off various cellphone towers that were in the vicinity of the home after the fatal shooting, which happened at 7:34 p.m. at 9020 Capstan Way.
He explained that because of rules restricting the height of towers near the airport, phones tend to bounce off several shorter towers in the area to avoid dead zones.
One of the numbers in contact with the Reed phone on the night of the murder belonged to his friend, Tyler Laramie-Chan, court heard.
Laramie-Chan testified last week that Reed either phoned or texted him sometime late on Sept. 18 or early Sept. 19 and asked to be picked up.
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He said that he drove to an area on Bowcock Road in Richmond and Reed walked to his car and got in.
Laramie-Chan said he had been friends with Reed since kindergarten and that it wasn’t unusual for Reed to call for a ride as he had no driver’s licence.
He also testified that Reed later contacted him to ask for the address on Bowcock Road where he was picked up that night.
“I went on Google Maps, dropped a pin to the spot where I picked him up and sent him the address,” Laramie-Chan said.
Watchuk must still decide whether the testimony of Laramie-Chan and another Reed friend named Mohammad Elburai will be admitted as evidence at the judge-alone trial.
Last week, Elburai testified that he also gave a ride to Reed on the night of the murder but backtracked on several things he told police, including details of a purported confession.
Jin, who faces four B.C. government lawsuits related to alleged money laundering, has been in court throughout the three-week trial.
The Crown’s case is expected to wrap up this week.
X.com/kbolan
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