People v. Tan CA3

FACTS

Even though the victim, Ruji Fang, and defendant each had a spouse and family in China, they lived together as boyfriend and girlfriend in the United States after

1 entering the country on tourist visas, first in Las Vegas beginning in 2005 and then in Sacramento County since 2009. Defendant admitted she and the victim cultivated marijuana while in Sacramento County. In the fall of 2012, they had been arrested after the grow was discovered during a house fire apparently caused by the overuse and theft of electricity. In 2009, defendant and the victim began to argue, which family members witnessed. On October 22, 2012, defendant arrived at a police station and stated the victim was dead in the house they had shared. Officers went to the house and discovered the victim dead in bed. His head was covered with a plastic bag using duct tape. Over this, another plastic bag with duct tape covered his head down to his waist. Blood splatter was found in the bedroom where the victim was found but no blood was found anywhere else in the house. He had several wounds on his face, on the back and sides of his head, an injury on the back of his right hand, and a broken cartilage in his…