MIT researcher Qinxuan Pan’s $20 million bond was upheld by a second Connecticut judge.
Pan was charged in February with the murder of Yale University graduate student Kevin Jiang. Jiang, a 26-year-old army veteran, had recently proposed to Zion Perry, a woman Pan had known while at MIT. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey Miranda revealed Wednesday that Jiang had been executed with five gunshots to his face and head. He also sustained shots to his torso, arm, and leg.
“The homicide was extremely brutal in nature and extremely violent,” she said in court.
Fox News reports: “Pan allegedly stole a car from a Massachusetts dealership by taking it on a test drive and taking it across state lines to Connecticut. After allegedly shooting Jiang in New Haven, he interacted with police in nearby North Haven when the car became stuck on railroad tracks and needed to be towed. He was questioned by police and let go.“
Pan evaded authorities for months before being taken into custody in Alabama in May. He had rented an apartment under a false name. He also had over $19,000 in cash and his father’s passport in his possession.
The Connecticut Supreme Court ordered a review following an appeal from Pan’s defense attorney, William Gerace. The extraordinary bail amount, which was set by Judge Brian Fischer, is less than the $50 million prosecutors originally sought. They argued that Pan’s family is extraordinarily wealthy and well-connected.
On July 28, New Haven Superior Court Judge Gerald Harmon ruled that the bond would stay in place.
“The court feels he is an acute risk of flight and also a danger to the public and possibly himself,” Harmon said in his ruling. He noted that Fischer’s amount was “to ensure the safety of the community, safety of himself and also his appearance in court.”
According to the Hartford Courant, “U.S. Treasury financial crimes investigators also alerted prosecutors that their teams have repeatedly flagged wire transfers from China of ‘very large amounts of money’ to accounts in Pan and his parents’ names from 2014 to 2020, Miranda revealed Wednesday. Pan was born in Shanghai but has lived in the U.S. since 2007 and is an American citizen, Gerace has said, but prosecutors and court records have suggested he may have been preparing to flee to China before his capture.”
Detectives have been investigating Pan’s parents for hindering prosecution. They supposedly helped their son escape authorities by driving him south and paying cash for hotels, laptops, and prepaid phones. Miranda said they shared little to no information with authorities when they were contacted by investigators.
