California Dentist’s Boyfriend Allegedly Hired a Hitman for Her $14 Million Estate, Prosecutors Say

A beloved California dentist was shot and killed in broad daylight in Oakland in August 2022. Investigators later alleged that the man who arranged the attack was her longtime boyfriend, who stood to benefit financially from her death.

Lili Xu, 60, was a prominent dentist in the Bay Area. On August 21, 2022, she was sitting in a vehicle with her boyfriend, Nelson Chia, when a gunman allegedly approached and shot her in Oakland’s Little Saigon neighborhood. Xu was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

According to court documents cited by prosecutors, Chia allegedly planned the killing with Hasheem Bason, then 33, and agreed to pay him to carry it out. Investigators said the two had been communicating for weeks before the shooting, and surveillance footage and forensic evidence helped build the case.

Prosecutors alleged that money was a central motive. Xu’s assets were estimated to be worth between $12 million and $14 million, including property, trusts and life insurance policies. According to investigators, Chia was positioned to receive about $1 million following her death.

Authorities also alleged that Bason obtained a vehicle and waited near the location where Xu and Chia were expected to go for a massage appointment. Investigators said DNA evidence and other records linked Bason to the alleged plot.

Both men were arrested in October 2022. However, Chia died in jail shortly after his arrest, in what authorities described as an apparent suicide. Bason remained in custody and faced multiple charges, including murder for financial gain.

The case shocked members of the community, particularly because Xu had been known as a respected professional. At the time of the report, the allegations against Bason were part of an ongoing criminal case, and prosecutors’ claims were not the same as a conviction.

Source: Foxnews