A San Francisco man has been found guilty of killing his 79-year-old roommate with a baseball bat and burning her alive in an attack that was "partially captured on Zoom," prosecutors say.
Min Jian Guan, 63, was convicted by a jury on charges of first-degree murder and elder abuse stemming from the 2020 attack, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced this week.
"Mr. Guan beat a 79-year-old woman with a baseball bat and lit her on fire while she was still alive at her home in the 400 block of 16th Avenue in the Richmond District," the attorney’s office said in a statement. "The beating was partially captured on Zoom and seen by a witness participating in a virtual class with the victim who reported seeing the victim get knocked down and hit."
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins called the June 14, 2020, attack a "horrific and brutal killing."
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"While nothing can bring the victim back to her family, I hope that this verdict brings them a sense of closure and justice," she said. "The jury’s verdict also sends a strong message that those who commit violence in our community will be held accountable."
The victim, Yu Quin Sun, was the roommate of Guan, according to The Associated Press.
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The motive for the killing is not clear.
"The defendant targeted a vulnerable 79-year-old with a campaign of abuse and harassment culminating in her death," Assistant District Attorney Leigh Frazier said in a statement. "I am pleased the jury has held him accountable for his actions."
Guan, who has been in custody June 2020, now faces 25 years to life in state prison, prosecutors say.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2023.
"The case against Mr. Guan was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Leigh Frazier with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Justine Cephus, paralegals Jessica Diamond and Tony Yu and IT support from Leland Chan and Ada Yu. Victim Advocate Maria Reynoso worked closely with the victim’s family throughout the case," the district attorney’s office said. "Prosecutors were able to develop a strong case against Guan based on the careful investigative work performed by the San Francisco Police Department’s Homicide investigators."
