The New York Post is reporting that Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of two women in a Henry Street apartment late last month. According to the report, the unnamed suspect was removed from a Hong Kong-bound Delta at JFK Airport yesterday.
“He was already in his seat. The doors were closing and the jet was preparing to take off. As soon as this guy saw us, he knew he was had,” a source told the Post. The man is described as a “hard core gang member.” There’s speculation the suspect may have planned to continue on to Beijing. On Saturday, police impounded his car from a street in Chinatown.
70-year old Xiao L. Li and 36-year old Hua Chen were both shot in the head inside 83 Henry Street June 29. The apartment was then set on fire to cover up the crime. Last week, there were reports that one of the victims may have owed money, and police were looking into whether an underground credit system in Chinatown could have been the source of a substantial loan to the younger woman. Neither victim lived in the apartment.
More details from WNBC… The man is identified as Songfei Li. He had used cash to pay for a one-way ticket to Hong Kong. According to the report:
Li was previously arrested in Brooklyn over an incident with a cab driver. He remains in police custody on assault charges in connection with that case while the Manhattan district attorney’s office decides if there is sufficient evidence to charge him in connection with the Chinatown slayings, law enforcement sources said… Li may also face new charges in the Brooklyn case where he allegedly threatened a cab driver with a gun, law enforcement sources say. Li was previously charged with menacing, harassment and criminal mischief in that case.
this story reminds me of the bad-old-days of chinatown c. 1985-1995