Woman accused of murder posts $35M bail: Tiffany Li, of Hillsborough, released from jail through unusual and expensive property bond

“When the judge set the amount at $35 million, I didn’t think my client could make that,” said Carr, who said the number of friends and business partners of Li and her mother who stepped up to help her make bail surprised and reassured him.

“I thought that was a testament to how much they believe she’s not a flight risk,” he said.

Li, 31, is accused of working with her boyfriend Kaveh Bayat, 30, and Olivier Adella, 41, to kill Keith Green, a Millbrae man and father of her children. Green, 27, was last seen with Li at the Millbrae Pancake House April 28, 2016, where the two were reportedly discussing a custody dispute over their children, according to prosecutors. Green’s body was found along a dirt road in Sonoma County May 11 and an autopsy determined he was killed by a single gunshot.

Initially, prosecutors sought no bail for Li but when a judge refused they sought $100 million. Though the judge eventually settled on $35 million along with other release conditions, Wagstaffe said only time will tell if she will continue to appear in court.

“We did not feel that [bail] would be enough motivation to keep her here, but that’s the court’s order,” he said.

Meeting bail at such a high amount is unusual for San Mateo County. The highest bail District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe could remember being posted for a defendant in San Mateo County was $1 million to $2 million.

“I know we’ve never had anything in our county history like this,” Wagstaffe said.

Li was released from the Maguire Correctional Facility in downtown Redwood City Thursday afternoon. Wearing a baseball hat and hood obscuring her face, Li was quickly ushered into an SUV and did not respond to questions from the media.

Li comes from a wealthy Chinese family and has Chinese citizenship. Carr said both Li and her mother were born in China, where the mother was financially successful in the construction industry, according to the Associated Press.

In March, prosecutors submitted a motion that would require Li submit to special GPS monitoring after hearing from the Sheriff’s Office that it does not have the capability to ensure she remains inside her home 24/7. Because the Sheriff’s Office typically uses less accurate cellphone tower data to keep track of those on electronic monitoring, Li was ultimately required to provide funding for the purchase of the GPS device and for the company monitoring her whereabouts, Wagstaffe and Carr confirmed.

Added to four conditions of Li’s bail previously discussed by the defense and prosecution were two measures requiring her to hand over any passport cards, documents permitting access to specific countries, and obey all family court orders, which prevents her from seeing her two children. These requirements are layered on other conditions set by the judge, including electronic monitoring, house arrest, relinquishing her passport and staying at least 100 yards away from any airport, Wagstaffe said.

Carr said he was pleased he and the prosecution were able to work out the conditions of Li’s bail amicably and with the shared interest that she not flee and stay safe. He noted that Li had received threats, none of which he believed were actionable, as court proceedings for her case have unfolded. Carr said security cameras have gone up at the confidential location of her house arrest to serve the dual purpose of her protection and surveillance.

For Angela Dunn, a close friend of Green’s who shared her home with him in the six months before his death, Li’s release from jail didn’t sit well.

“Nothing about this seems right,” she told the Associated Press.

Dunn also told the Associated Press the victim’s mother is taking Li’s release especially hard.

Carr said his client was happy bordering on giddy at the news of her release from the county jail, where she had been behind bars for close to a year. While he could not disclose specifics from their conversation following her court appearance Thursday morning, Carr noted her comments reassured him she believes in her innocence.

Li, Bayat and Adella have pleaded not guilty to murder charges, and Bayat and Adella remain in custody without bail. Bayat is believed to have shot and killed Green, and was also charged with use of a deadly weapon. The trio will next appear in court July 17 for pre-trial conference and their jury trial is slated to begin Sept. 18, according to prosecutors.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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