Bay Area murder suspect could be released on bail after offering $70 million in property and cash
A Bay Area woman accused of killing the father of her two children is planning to offer nearly $70 million in property and cash to get out of custody.
Tiffany Li, 31, is charged with murder and accused of conspiring with two other defendants to kill her ex-boyfriend, Keith Green, said San Mateo County Dist. Atty. Steve Wagstaffe. Li has been held in lieu of $35 million bail for nearly a year.
On Thursday, however, Li is expected to be released from jail after nearly 20 friends, family and wealthy business associates offered to put up their properties as collateral for her bail, said her attorney Geoffrey Carr. Because Li is offering homes and business buildings to secure her $35-million bail, he said, the equity in the property must be twice that amount. She is also planning to pay some of her bail with cash.
“I was surprised at the number of people that came forward,” Carr said. “She is well-liked in the community and is a straight shooter. I think people believe she is not guilty.”
The bail posted would be the highest ever in San Mateo County’s history, Wagstaffe said. It could also be one of the largest in U.S. history, attorneys said.
“It’s different for us, and we are a wealthy county,” he said.
During the early stages of the case, Wagstaffe said, prosecutors asked for no bail, but a judge didn’t agree. So they asked for Li’s bail to be set at $100 million because, he said, she is a flight risk, and again the judge declined. Eventually, Wagstaffe said, a judge agreed to set her bail at $35 million.
Li, who lives in the San Mateo County town of Hillsborough, one of the nation’s wealthiest cities, is a property manager and former stockbroker, her attorney said.
The mother of two comes from a wealthy upbringing with ties to family in China, Wagstaffe said.
“Our belief is her family wealth is in the $100 million to $150 million range,” he said. “She comes from enormous wealth.”
Although Wagstaffe still believes Li is a flight risk, he said, attorneys on both sides have agreed that she could be released on certain conditions: She must wear an electronic home monitoring bracelet; be on house arrest; surrender her passport as well as her children’s; and cannot to be within 100 yards of any airport.
Prosecutors alleged that Li and her boyfriend, Kaveh Bayat, came up with a plan to kill Green because she was afraid of losing a custody battle with him, Wagstaffe said. Bayat was jealous of Green, the district attorney said. The couple then asked Olivier Adella to get rid of his body, Wagstaffe said.
Green had met with Li on April 28 at a pancake restaurant in Millbrae, authorities said, but never returned home from the meeting and was reported missing.
Green’s body was found May 11, 2016, in a ravine off Highway 101 near Healdsburg. He had been shot to death.
A week after the body was discovered, Li, Adella and Bayat were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Li’s attorney said he is concerned about his client because she has received many angry letters and death threats complaining about her making bail.
“You are entitled to bail. Everyone is,” he said.
Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
ALSO
13 alleged gang members from L.A. sought in Huntington Beach robbery
Selfie nearly proves fatal as woman falls off bridge while taking a picture
San Gabriel Valley raids target scammers who helped wealthy Chinese get U.S. visas, feds say
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
