Latest news with #SteveWagstaffe
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Half Moon Bay mass shooting case
Prosecutors in San Mateo County said they will seek the death penalty against the man suspected of killing seven people in Half Moon Bay at his upcoming trial. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced the decision Tuesday in the case of Chunli Zhao. The 66-year-old is accused of shooting eight people at two mushroom farms on Jan. 23, 2023. Authorities said Zhao shot several people at the California Terra Gardens where he worked, killing four and wounding a fifth victim. Zhao is also accused of fatally shooting three more people at Concord Farms, where he was previously an employee, before surrendering to authorities. FILE - Chunli Zhao appears for his arraignment at San Mateo Superior Court in Redwood City, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Zhao, a farmworker charged with killing seven people at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms told investigators he was spurred to carry out the shootings after his supervisor demanded he pay $100 to repair a forklift damaged at work. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group via AP, Pool,File) Shae Hammond / AP The victims who died have been identified as Yetao Bing, 43, Zhishen Liu, 73, Aixiang Zhang, 74, Qizhong Cheng, 66, Jingzhi Lu, 64, Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, and Jose Romero Perez, 38. Zhao pleaded not guilty in Feb. 2023 to seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder and remains in custody. A judge has granted a defense request for a gag order in the case. An executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 has suspended the state's use of the death penalty and closed the state's execution chamber at San Quentin, but did not change the sentencing of any inmates. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the state currently has 587 people on death row. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 6 to set a trial date, prosecutors said.
CBS News
23-04-2025
- CBS News
Man with 3 DUI convictions charged with murder in deadly Brisbane crash
A man with multiple DUI convictions has been charged with murder in connection with a suspected drunk driving collision that killed a mother in Brisbane earlier this year. According to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe's office, 71-year-old Michael Jeffry Bovo of Brisbane was set to appear at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Bovo, who has at least three prior convictions of driving under the influence, was arrested following a Feb. 7 crash near Tunnel Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard. Prosecutors said Bovo, who was behind the wheel of his Ford F-150 pickup, crossed over the center line several times before blowing through a stop sign and striking three parked cars. The victim, 43-year-old Aimee Fernandez, was reaching into her vehicle to retrieve her 5-year-old daughter when Bovo struck both of them. He then accelerated and struck the two other vehicles before coming to rest, according to the DA's office. Fernandez died after she was taken off life support two weeks after the collision, according to prosecutors. Her daughter was also seriously injured. Following the collision, police said they noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Bovo and found a ¾ consumed bottle of vodka in the pocket of his hoodie. A blood sample taken at the hospital showed a blood alcohol level of 0.28%, more than three times the legal limit. Prosecutors said Bovo remains in custody without bail at the San Mateo County Jail.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged Peninsula hit-and-run driver fatally strikes woman, goes to work
The Brief Two women were killed in separate hit-and-run crashes along the Peninsula, both bearing similarities. In each case, the drivers ran red lights while heading to work, according to police. The suspects were tracked down and arrested at their jobs. BURLINGAME, Calif. - Twice within two weeks, drivers have barreled through red lights along the Peninsula while heading to work, killing victims before fleeing the scene, authorities said. What we know On March 11, Arlene Ocampo, 61, was in a crosswalk near El Camino Real and Trousdale Drive in Burlingame when she was hit by a car whose driver never stopped. "He ran the red light, hit her, throwing her up onto, and over the top of his car. He then, without hitting the brake at all, kept on driving and drove to work," said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Ocampo, the mother of two daughters, died at the scene, just a block from the Burlingame Police Department. She enjoyed cooking, gardening, and going to church. On GoFundMe, her daughters wrote, "Though our hearts are broken, we find comfort in the memories of her beautiful life." Burlingame police arrested the suspect, Joel Gilongos, 52, with the help of witnesses and video cameras. Gilongos has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run. What they're saying The tragedy bears many similarities to a March 24 crash in Brisbane that killed Rosa Baez, 59. She was headed to work at Amazon when a driver, Hector de la Torre-Jimenez, allegedly ran a red light on Bayshore Boulevard, ran off, and went to work. "All because they wanted to not be a few minutes late to work," Wagstaffe said. "It's just a horrific decision by both of these men. They're both going to spend time in prison for what they did." Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and The Source Interviews, previous KTVU reporting
