Merced murder trial focuses on phone records, physical evidence. Defense say it’s not proof

New details emerged in the murder trial of a Bay Area man accused of killing a woman in 2017 and leaving her body in a Merced trash bin.

William Li, 56, appeared in court out of custody last week, having posted bail shortly after his arrest in 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to murder in connection with the death of Lijun Wang, a 30-year-old woman who police said emigrated from China to the United States about a year before her death in February 2017.

Authorities have said evidence indicates Li and Wang had some kind of relationship that soured and some of that evidence ties Li to Wang’s death.

“There is evidence of a relationship and evidence of frequent contact,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Matt Serratto told jurors. “He did this. (Li) did what he was charged with.”

Li’s defense attorney, Jeffrey Tenenbaum, has pushed back. While acknowledging some evidence could suggest that Li might have moved Wang’s body after her death, Tenenbaum said there’s simply not enough evidence to prove Li was the killer.

“I will ask you to find him not guilty based on that,” Tenenbaum told jurors last week.

Under questioning from Tenenbaum, some witnesses described Wang’s alleged ties to the sex worker trade, which the defense has suggested could have left her vulnerable to danger from someone other than Li.

Police have said they believe Wang may have worked in an “indentured servant capacity” through sex work to pay off underworld travel debts.

During Friday morning’s proceedings, Tenenbaum questioned friends and family of Li’s, who described a dependable, calm man who had no propensity for violence.

“He’s calm and very patient,” said Lawrence Tam, Li’s brother-in-law. “He’s not a violent man. He’s peaceful, especially towards the kids.”

Serratto presented records indicating both Li’s cellphone and Wang’s cellphone were both in the Merced area the night of Wang’s death. Investigators also said they found flecks of light-colored paint chips stuck to Wang’s back that matched paint chips found in the trunk of Li’s car.

Web browser history on Li’s computers included search terms like “How to delete data from iPhone 6s,” “Can phone companies see your text messages,” and “How to delete my phone call history,” according to investigators.

Authorities also said they found evidence that Li searched Backpage.com, a website police have said is commonly used to contact sex workers.

Investigators who examined the auto body shop in San Mateo where Li worked said they found the shop’s floor had been painted a color that matched the paint chips found on Wang’s body and inside Li’s car.

Another car mechanic who owned an auto body shop next door to Li’s said he thought it was odd that only portions of the floor had been painted. He said during court on Thursday that he went to Li’s shop within days of Wang’s death and saw a fresh coat of paint on the floor, but only in certain spots.

“I asked why wouldn’t they paint the whole floor?” said Sami Haddad, Li’s neighbor.

Haddad also said that same week, Li asked if he could see video surveillance footage captured by Haddad’s security camera system, which Haddad set up on the exterior of his shop. Haddad granted Li access to the video surveillance and then left Li in the office to watch the footage alone.

Later, when Haddad went back to the office after Li left, he discovered the video surveillance footage had been deleted.

“Everything was erased,” Haddad said. “Maybe by mistake. It was all blank.”

Judge Mark V. Bacciarini ordered jurors to return to court at 10 a.m. Tuesday as the trial resumes.