Accused killer should be found guilty of Richmond murder, Crown argues

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Overwhelming circumstantial evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that accused killer Richard Reed committed the premediated murder of an alleged money launderer while dining at a Richmond restaurant in 2020, prosecutor Mark Wolf said Monday.

In his closing arguments, Wolf told British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Jeanne Watchuk that the Crown had proven its case that Reed was the hooded shooter who fired into the Manzo restaurant seven times shortly after 7: 30 pm on September 18, 2020.

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He said the first shot “targeted and entered the back” of Jian Jun Zhu’s head, while two others hit Zhu’s partner, Paul King Jin.

“Mr. Zhu collapsed immediately after being shot and later died in hospital, and Mr. Jin was treated for his injuries and recovered,” Wolf said. “The Crown maintains that in committing this shooting Mr. “Reed intended to kill the person who shot him.”

Jin, who the British Columbia government has accused of being a money launderer involved in illegal gambling, was not in court Monday for the Crown’s closing, although he has been a regular fixture in the gallery at the trial of four weeks long.

Reed faces charges of first-degree murder for Zhu’s death and attempted murder for Jin’s injuries.

Previously, Watchuk had ruled inadmissible an alleged confession Reed made to a friend about attacking Jin that night but killing the wrong person.

Given that decision, Wolf said Monday that “the Crown cannot prove an essential element of that charge, namely Mr. Reed’s specific intent to kill Paul Jin. “So the Crown invites the court to find Mr. Reed not guilty of the second charge.”

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Reed admitted at trial that he was the person photographed wearing a distinctive black and white striped Calvin Klein hoodie at 7:16 pm and 7:22 pm that night, just minutes before Manzo’s murder.

Other video clips played in court Monday showing the area around Manzo before and after the shooting showed a man of the same height and build as Reed wearing an identical hoodie, Wolf said.

“Mr. Reed spent approximately 20 minutes examining the Manzo scene. He walked around the parking lot waiting for the sun to set so he could commit the crime under the cover of darkness,” Wolf said.

The video evidence came from “the Manzo restaurant, some neighboring businesses, some neighboring homes and some car dash cameras,” Wolf said.

“When you put all that evidence together, the inevitable conclusion is that Mr. Reed is the person wearing the black and white hoodie in that video,” he told Watchuk.

He also played video from inside the restaurant showing the explosion through the window that hit Zhu, followed by six more gunshots as customers sought cover.

The fact that the Norinco firearm used in Zhu’s murder was found in Reed’s rented basement under his bed is also key evidence of his guilt, Wolf said. Police also confiscated a charger loaded with Reed’s fingerprint in the same room.

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“It is clear that Mr. Reed was in possession of the firearm,” Wolf said.

Aside from the video evidence and the murder weapon, the “third pillar” of the Crown’s case is “Reed’s coordination and communication with three other people,” Wolf said, naming Gordon Ma, Yuexi (Alex) Lei and Jin Cai.

“The evidence also shows that Gordon Ma had frequent telephone contact with Jin Cai, including when Mr. Ma was with Mr. Reed before the shooting, and immediately after the shooting,” Wolf said. “Jin Cai… was having dinner with the victim and was the only person who left the dinner early, which happened to be at the exact same time that Mr. Reed walked through the Manzo parking lot for the first time.”

Lei, he noted, lived in a house on Bowcock Road where the hoodie the killer was wearing was found partially burned.

Reed’s attorneys are expected to make closing arguments Tuesday.

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