Death penalty sought for Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao
Chunli Zhao appears for a motion hearing at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood City, Calif., on Friday, 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,
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - San Mateo County's district attorney is seeking the death penalty for Chunli Zhao, 68, the Half Moon Bay shooting suspect.
The deadly mass shooting was carried out on Jan. 23, 2023 at two mushroom farms. Seven farmworkers were killed by their coworker.
Last year, Zhao, who had turned himself in at a sheriff's department substation following the shooting, was indicted on seven counts of murder, special circumstances of multiple murder and one count of attempted murder in the shootings. The victims included Chinese and Latino farmworkers.
Stephen Wagstaffe, San Mateo County's D.A., announced in court on Tuesday that he would be seeking the death penalty in Zhao's trial. California currently has a moratorium on the death penalty that was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019.
The tragedy shook the community, but advocacy groups said the shootings also exposed the struggles of the farmworkers and the substandard housing conditions they endured.
Reforms have been put in place since the shootings highlighted these housing conditions. Some local farmworkers have since been offered access to affordable housing. During the two-year-anniversary vigil of the shootings, we reported that new housing developments were in the works, with units reserved for the victims' families.
California currently has a moratorium on the death penalty, meaning executions are not being carried out. This moratorium was imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019.
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D.A. announces indictment of Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect Chunli Zhao
On the eve of the first anniversary of the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay last year, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office announced the indictment of suspect Chunli Zhao on Monday.