A former NYPD officer has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder charges for wounding her ex-girlfriend and killing the woman her ex was dating, the Attorney General’s office said.
Yvonne Wu shot and wounded her ex, Jenny Li, 23, and killed Jamie Liang, 24, in a hail of bullets from her NYPD service weapon on Oct. 13, 2021, in Li’s Brooklyn apartment.
Wu, 34, of Staten Island, entered the guilty plea Thursday before Judge Danny Chun in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Her sentencing is set for Aug. 28. Wu’s defense lawyer, Lawrence Fredella, did not reply to an email from the Daily News.
The case was prosecuted by the office of state Attorney General Letitia James under a 2015 executive order which allows the office to act as special prosecutor when a police officer takes the life of a civilian.
Wu remains held without bail at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island. The prosecution and defense have recommended a prison sentence of 22 years for the manslaughter charge and five years for the attempted murder charge to run consecutively.
The Li and Liang families have sued the city for $25 million alleging the NYPD was aware Wu was emotionally distressed but allowed her to keep her service weapon prior to the shootings.
“Now that justice has been done in the criminal matter, we look forward to justice in the civil matter in the form of money damages for wrongful death and pain and suffering,” said Sanford Rubenstein, the lawyer representing the families.
On Oct. 13, 2021, Wu was off-duty when she entered Li’s Bensonhurst home through an unlocked back door and opened fire with six rounds from her police-issued Glock 19 when Li and Liang came home.
Liang died at Maimonides Hospital. Li survived after being hit in the chest, with a round striking her lungs and arteries.
“I shot them both,” she told cops at the scene, according to sources. “The gun’s inside. You can take me in.”
In the weeks prior to the shooting Wu got into an argument with Li and Liang at least once, The News previously reported.
But Li did not report the incident to the NYPD, a friend of hers told The News in 2021.
“It should have been prevented,” the friend said at the time. “The cop was already stalking them … [Jenny] didn’t want the police involved. She wanted to handle it on her own. She thought she could handle it.”
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