Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
3 Chinese Teens Will Go To Prison For 'Lord Of The Flies' Attack On Classmate
Three Chinese teens will be going to prison as part of a plea deal for kidnapping and assaulting a San Gabriel Valley classmate.
Yiran "Camellia" Liu, who was 18 at the time of the March 30 attack, testified that the three defendants—Yunyao "Helen" Zhai, Yuhan "Coco" Yang and Xinlei "John" Zhang, who were also 18 at the time—were part of a group of teens who brutally beat, humiliated and tortured her. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that it allegedly stemmed from a dispute over a dinner bill and over a boy. Liu said the three teenage girls forced her to get on her knees and wipe cigarette butts and ice cream off the floor of a Rowland Heights ice cream shop. The mob mentality got worse when they then took Liu to Rowland Heights Park, where they removed her clothes, kicked and hit her, used a cigarette to burn her nipples, and chopped off her hair and demanded she eat it, according to the testimony.
The three defendants, now 19, pleaded no contest to charges of kidnapping and assault as part of a plea deal this week, according to the L.A. Times. Deputy Dist. Atty. Casey Jarvis, the prosecutor on the case, agreed to drop the original torture charge because the teens had no prior criminal record. Previously, Zhai and Yang's attorneys did say their clients participated in the attack, and Zhang's lawyer said Zhang was just a bystander. Jarvis said Zhai will be sentenced to 13 years in jail, Yang to 10 and Zhang to six.
Yang's attorney, Rayford Fountain, said, "It was too much of a risk to go to trial."
Support for LAist comes from
The defendants and the victim involved in the attack were "parachute kids," meaning that they had been sent to the United States by their parents to get an American education, while the parents stayed in China. The case drew a lot of concern about parachute kids not having very much parental supervision. In the summer when Judge Thomas C. Falls presided over the preliminary hearing, he compared the actions of the teens to the book Lord of the Flies. He felt that since parachute kids were away from their parents and had to live in another country, there was "no supervision, no one to turn to for assistance. So these things can get out of control."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist