A 20-year-old woman was sentenced for their role in the brutal killing of a Chinese graduate student at the University of Southern California in 2014.
According to ABC7, defendant Alejandra Guerrero was only 16 years old when she got herself involved in the attack of 24-year-old engineering student Xinran Ji on July 24, 2014,
Ji was walking back to his apartment near campus following a study session when he was attacked by a group of teenagers with a baseball bat and wrench.
In October 2016, Guerrero was convicted of one count each of first-degree murder, robbery, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. She was also convicted of her involvement in another attack that took place hours later.
On Friday morning, Guerrero was sentenced to life in prison, while another defendant, 23-year-old Jonathan Del Carmen, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
“I am so sorry and I pray that one day they could forgive me,” Guerrero was quoted as saying during her sentencing hearing.
According to prosecutors, Guerrero had first-hand involvement in the attack while Del Carmen, who pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder, drove the getaway car.
While Ji managed to escape the assault, he died in his apartment just hours later. Two other individuals were involved in the attack that on the student who they targeted because he was Chinese and they assumed he had money, prosecutors said.
Andrew Garcia, 22, who was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges, was sentenced to life in prison, while Albert Ochoa, 21, is still awaiting trial.
“[Guerrero] watched as he was crying and screaming for help, and she didn’t just watch, but she got down on the ground where he was and participated in the attack,” prosecutor John McKinney said.
Ji’s parents said in a statement that they “live in sorrow and darkness every day.”
