FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Waitress Sentenced to 15 Years to Life in Prison for
Fatally Stabbing Man in Sunset Park Chinese Restaurant
Defendant Admitted Stabbing Victim, Pleaded Guilty to Second-Degree Murder
Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 37-year-old woman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing an acquaintance who was seated in the restaurant where she worked, which was owned by his family.
Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant inexplicably stabbed the victim in this case, ending his life and ruining her own. She’s now been held accountable and will serve many years in prison for her actions.”
The Acting District Attorney identified the defendant as Lan Shui Yu, 37, of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. She was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on March 31, 2017.
The Acting District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on February 15, 2016, at approximately 10 p.m., Jian Yang Zhang, 44, went to Lucky Zhang, a restaurant located at 5622 8th Avenue, in Sunset Park, which was owned by his family. He sat down at a table and allegedly made a comment to the defendant, who was a waitress at the restaurant. The defendant then slapped the victim and punched him in the head. She then picked up a knife, stabbed him in the back and then stabbed him in the heart.
The victim then walked outside of the restaurant and collapsed. Shortly thereafter, the defendant left the restaurant, stepped over the victim’s body and went to a friend’s house nearby. She cleaned herself up and confessed the stabbing to her friend.
Mr. Zhang was taken to the hospital, but died of injuries due to the stab wound to the heart. Police responded to the location, located the defendant and she told them that the victim cursed at her so she stabbed him. The entire incident, including the homicide and the defendant’s actions thereafter, was captured on videotape.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sara Kurtzberg, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Bureau Chief.
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