Still waiting for justice: Victim of Bellevue murder-for-hire plot speaks out
It was a violent crime that rocked an affluent Bellevue community - a husband shot multiple times by a teenage gunman, and his ex-wife accused of being the mastermind.
Miraculously the victim, Baron Li, survived.
One of the teen suspects – now 20 years old – just pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Wednesday. But three years later, ex-wife Shaerin Kelley, still faces no convictions.
Li currently still has three bullets inside his body from when he was shot in Bellevue’s Lakemont neighborhood three years ago. He was leaving his home, walking to his car to head to work, when a gunman ambushed him.
He was first shot in his right arm – then almost everywhere else, as bullets riddled his body and his car.
“I took a shot to the back of the leg twice and then fell to the ground. I was hiding behind the car door and he came around and I was shot here in the chest,” Li said, pointing to a scar.
Prosecutors said in court documents that his ex-wife, Kelley, plotted the crime. She was 30 years old at the time. “This offense was clearly and carefully planned for some time, including the placement and use of a tracking device to ensure the victim could be located and killed,” documents read.
The couple was in the midst of a tense custody battle. Li said his son, Eric, has special needs because of a medical error made when he was an infant. The boy is currently non-verbal and non-mobile, requiring a G-J feeding tube.
The family won a small settlement for his future care, which was put into a trust. Investigators believe the money was Kelley’s motive for the murder scheme.
“It’s hard for good people to imagine someone to be so evil,” Li said.
When it turned out Li survived, prosecutors said Kelley showed no “remorse or realization of the horror of what she set in motion” and contacted the teen again.
Documents say:
When advised “job unfinished, will need to complete unless it resolves on its own in the next month,” Good replied “Your (sic) sure? I’m pretty sure I finished it well.” After being explicitly advised that the victim was not dead (“unfortunately”), Good agreed to complete the job and said he “Would like a partial payment in advance as well to pay off my driver…”
According to investigators, she promised to pay $13,000 for the murder of her ex-husband.
He was shot nine times, but incredibly, the rounds missed any major arteries or organs.
“It’s a miracle,” Li said. “I realized God had given me a second chance to be here - and the only reason I was still alive was to take care of my son,” he said.
On Wednesday in a deal with prosecutors, the now 20-year-old Joseph Good pleaded guilty to attempted second degree murder.
“What was your reaction after hearing that?” KIRO7′s Deedee Sun asked. “One is relief because I want the boys to be accountable for what they did,” Li said.
Last week, 20-year-old Quincy Mendez, pleaded guilty to assault. Mendez was the 17-year-old driver at the time.
But three years after the shooting, Li’s ex-wife, Kelley, remains in the King County Jail pending trial. Li says he wishes the case could have resolved years ago and is still waiting for that justice.
“So I don’t have to be part of this nightmare anymore,” he said. “This is coming to an end hopefully, and a new chapter for my life,” he said.
The King County prosecutor’s office said it’s not uncommon for murder or attempted murder cases to take such a long time.
“Resolutions for murder cases typically take multiple years across Washington State. That time case be difficult for victim families and for all involved,” said spokesperson Casey McNerthney. “The understandable court slowdown following public health guidelines during the pandemic is a factor. But prosecutors do not forget about cases or the concerns of victims and others involved,” he said.
Li said because of the attempted murder charges, the custody battle between he and Kelley was essentially put on hold. If she’s acquitted of all charges, the custody fight could resume.
Kelley’s trial is scheduled for August, along with the sentencing for both Good and Mendez.
