Queens woman indicted in murder of LI attorney

A Queens grand jury has indicted a woman in the stabbing death of a Great Neck attorney who was found stabbed repeatedly in his Flushing office last month after, officials said, he refused to represent her in an immigration case.

Xiaoning Zhang, 25, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and weapons charges in the slaying of attorney Jim Li, 66, who was found with stab wounds in the neck and torso in his office on March 14.

Zhang, of Flushing, was indicted on six counts: second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and harassment.

Li, whose given name was Li Jinjin, was a Tiananmen Square protester who had been jailed in China for two years for taking part in the pro-democracy demonstration.

Queens prosecutors said police were called at noon last month to the fourth-floor office on 39th Avenue, where they found Li bleeding from his stab wounds. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

Prosecutors said NYPD officers found Zhang with blood-stained clothes and two knives, including one in her pocket.

“As alleged, this was a brutal attack that ended in tragedy,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “She was still in the victim’s office when the police arrived on the scene, and now faces serious charges.”

Zhang’s Legal Aid attorney, Kenneth Deane, could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Officials said Zhang attacked Li after he turned down representing her asylum request. Associates said Zhang wanted Li to sue her former immigration attorney, but Li said the case had no merit.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder ordered Zhang held without bail. She is set to return to court June 8 and, if convicted, she faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.