Judge sets trial date in death penalty case against accused Half Moon Bay mass shooter

Judge sets trial date in death penalty case against accused Half Moon Bay mass shooter

Briefly

"Judge Jeffrey R. Finigan set a trial date of Jan. 25, 2027, for Chunli Zhao, the Peninsula man accused of gunning down seven fellow migrant workers in the county's deadliest mass shooting on record. If the trial date holds, it would come almost exactly four years to the day after authorities claim Zhao carried out the killings at two mushroom farms in and around the coastal community of Half Moon Bay."

"The Jan. 23, 2023 shooting began at a Half Moon Bay mushroom where Zhao lived and worked for seven years, most recently as a forklift driver. The violence appeared to stem from a workplace grudge, triggered by a $100 equipment bill from his boss for damage to heavy construction equipment, according to authorities. The rampage which continued to a second location in the city, off Highway 1 illuminated deep concerns about living conditions among migrant workers on farms across San Mateo County, where state and county officials described the workers' dwellings as deplorable."

"Nearly 20 years have passed since anyone was executed in California, which holds more condemned prisoners than any other state in the nation. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions across the state in 2019, and he began dismantling the state's death row three years later. The case marks the first time that San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe has sought the death penalty since becoming the county's top prosecutor in 2011, though he tried five death penalty cases prior to winning office."