Modesto Chinese restaurant murder case delayed

A defense attorney for a Modesto man accused of killing his boss asked a judge for more time to review the case before proceeding in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Zhi Jian Mei, 28, of Modesto has been charged with murder and robbery along with enhancements on suspicion of using a deadly weapon while committing the crimes. Mei has pleaded not guilty.

Mei, a Chinese food restaurant employee, is accused of killing his boss with a meat cleaver.

Wing Ming Chan, 47, of Modesto was killed sometime after 9 p.m. May 4 at his restaurant, China Gourmet, in the Century Center shopping plaza on Oakdale Road in northeast Modesto.

The judge scheduled Mei to return to court July 27 for a continued pretrial hearing.

Mei was being held at the Stanislaus County Jail, and his bail has been set at $1.03 million.

This story was originally published June 24, 2011 at 10:28 PM with the headline "Modesto Chinese restaurant murder case delayed."