Chinese-born heiress posts US$66m as bail in California murder case, appalling victim’s family

A Chinese real estate scion charged with orchestrating the murder of her children’s father was released from a San Francisco Bay Area jail Thursday after posting US$66 million in cash and assets as bail, a highly unusual financial transaction that startled and angered the victim’s family and friends.

Chinese-born Tiffany Li will remain out of custody after family, friends and business associates of her mother raised US$4 million cash and pledged San Francisco Bay Area properties valued at a combined $62 million to post her bail, which was officially set at US$35 million. Courts require double the bail amount when property is pledged instead of cash.

“Nothing about this seems right,” said Angela Dunn, a close friend of the victim who shared her home with him in the six months before his death. Dunn said the victim’s mother is taking Li’s release especially hard.

Court records show 15 properties being pledged. Li’s attorney Carr said the properties are owned by family and business associates of Li’s mother, who spends most of her time in China where she profited from real estate investments there.

Li, 31, is charged with directing her boyfriend and another man to kill Keith Green, 27, and dispose of his body, which was found in May with a bullet wound to the neck 130km north of the suburban San Francisco mansion he and Li once shared with their two young daughters.

Prosecutors say Li feared she would lose custody of her daughters. Li and the two men were arrested shortly after Green’s body was found and the trio is scheduled to stand trial in September. Li has pleaded not guilty.