Hearing set for Bay Area man accused of murdering Chinese woman and dumping body in trash bin

A hearing to determine if William Li – who is accused of murdering a Chinese woman involved in human trafficking and dumping her body in an alley trash bin in Merced – will take place in December.

Li, who is free on bail and was ordered to wear an electronic monitor, appeared briefly in Merced Superior Court on Wednesday surrounded by family. His defense attorney, Jeffrey Tenenbaum, was also present.

In December, police officers will testify and Judge Ronald Hansen will determine whether or not the case will go to trial, Tenenbaum said.

Li, a 50-year-old San Francisco resident who works as an auto mechanic, was arrested in San Mateo in April and transported to Merced County Jail in connection to the murder of 30-year-old Lijun Wang. Wang’s body was found in a trash bin alleyway in the 3100 block of G Street in February. Police said Wang came to the U.S. about a year earlier and became entangled with a human trafficking ring operating, at least in part, out of the Bay Area.

Li, police said, is believed to be connected to the trafficking group, but in what capacity remains unclear. Police said at some point, Li and Wang became romantically involved, but their relationship may have been ending around the time of her death.

Li’s family scraped together $50,000 from seven credit cards, $30,000 in cash and two properties to pay for his bail, Tenenbaum said at a previous bail review hearing.

Li will appear in court at least once more before the December hearing.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Hearing set for Bay Area man accused of murdering Chinese woman and dumping body in trash bin."