Cook convicted in slaying of Modesto restaurant owner

A jury on Thursday found Zhi Jian Mei guilty of second-degree murder for bludgeoning his boss with a meat cleaver during a confrontation inside Modesto’s China Gourmet restaurant.

The prosecution had sought first-degree murder and robbery charges against Mei, 33, in the death of Ming Wing Chan, 47, of Modesto. The deadly confrontation occurred sometime after 9 p.m. on May 4, 2011, at Chan’s restaurant in Century Center at Oakdale Road and Orangeburg Avenue.

Deputy District Attorney Randy Fischer argued at trial that Mei had killed his boss in the process of robbing him. Authorities found Chan’s wallet inside Mei’s car after investigators had seized the vehicle.

Mark Sullivan, Mei’s defense attorney, argued that his client didn’t remember taking the wallet, which didn’t look as though it had been rifled through. Blood was found throughout the car’s interior but not the wallet, which still had $217 in cash and its other contents.

Investigators found nearly $1,600 in cash in Chan’s pants pockets and another $261 in a cookie tin underneath the restaurant’s front counter. Sullivan argued there was no robbery, because Mei could have easily taken all the cash.

The jury of eight women and four men began deliberations late Wednesday morning and continued Thursday morning before reaching a verdict a few hours later.

The jurors acquitted Mei of the robbery charge and chose to convict the defendant of the less serious murder charge. Mei also was convicted of an enhancement for using a deadly weapon in the crime.

In his closing argument Monday, the prosecutor told the jury that Mei intended to kill Chan, because it was the defendant who grabbed the meat cleaver before he chased his boss toward the back of the restaurant.

Stanislaus County Forensic Pathologist Sung-Ook Baik testified during the trial that he found 80 “chops” alone on Chan’s face and head. Chan suffered 141 cuts on his body. Baik said the normal appearance of Chan’s face and head had been “completely destroyed.”

Mei had been a China Gourmet employee for three years. The defendant says he waited until after the restaurant closed that night to tell his boss that he was leaving his job as a cook at the restaurant. He said Chan responded to his news with anger, name-calling and shoving.

The defendant owed Chan $800 and $1,500 to a co-worker. Police questioned Mei about his gambling habit; he went to gamble at a card game before returning to the restaurant to speak with Chan. Mei said he would gamble to support his family.

Mei claimed Chan had a small knife and cut his right shoulder before the restaurant owner chased the cook into the kitchen, where Mei grabbed the meat cleaver. Mei told police that he and his boss then wrestled over the meat cleaver.

In his closing argument, the defense attorney told the jury that his client was simply fighting off Chan during the struggle. Sullivan argued that Mei was trying to keep himself alive.

After the violent confrontation, Mei left the restaurant without calling for help, and he got rid of his bloodied clothes and showered without seeking medical treatment for the cuts he had suffered. Fischer told the jury this was a clear indication of Mei’s guilt and intent in the attack on Chan.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Nancy Ashley scheduled Mei to return to court May 2 for his sentencing hearing.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Cook convicted in slaying of Modesto restaurant owner."