Los Angeles, CA–A fourth person was convicted today for the July 2014 murder of Chinese graduate student Xinran Ji. He was a 24-year-old electrical engineering student at the University of Southern California.
Ji was attacked and beaten to death while walking home one night from a study group. Alberto Ochoa, 22, was sentenced today to life without the possibility of parole. The jury deliberated for two hours before reaching a verdict.
Since Ochoa committed the crime when he was 17 and technically still a minor, law requires that Ochoa is granted a parole hearing in 25 years.
According to prosecutors, Ji was attacked with a bat and wrench by three teenage men and a16-year-old girl who were attempting to rob him. Although he managed to stagger back to his apartment on campus, he was found deceased by his roommate hours later.
Alejandra Guerrero who was 16 at the time of the murder, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Jonathan Del Carmen received 15 years to life. Andrew Garcia, 22, was also sentenced to life in prison for murder.
The District Attorney’s office also claimed the group robbed a man and woman near Dockweiler Beach hours after the murder occurred.
Ji’s murder continues to raise questions over the safety of Chinese students at USCs who represent one of the largest groups of international students at USC.
In 2012, Ying Wu and Ming Qu were killed after a man shot into the BMW they were sitting in near the West Adams area of Los Angeles. Two Black men were later tried and convicted for their murders.
