Man Charged in Death of Woman at Eagan Hotel
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - 25-year-old Philip Wong of Little Canada, Minnesota, was officially charged with one count of Murder in the second degree (Without Intent While Committing a Felony) and one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (While Committing a Gross Misdemeanor) in connection to the death of 53-year-old Jianqin Zhang according to Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena. The incident occurred at a hotel in Eagan, Minnesota, on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
According to the criminal complaint from the Dakota County Attorney's Office, the Eagan Police Department was called to a hotel in Eagan, Minnesota [name of hotel or location not given at this time] for the report of an unresponsive female, later identified as Ms. Zhang. She was found by a friend who happened to be an employee at the hotel. The friend found Ms. Zhang unresponsive on the bed, lying face down, and cold to the touch. By the time police arrived at the scene, medics were already tending to her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Medical personnel gave the same statement as the friend of Ms. Zhang that she was found on the bed face down when they arrived on the scene.
An autopsy was performed on Ms. Zhang by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office. Preliminary results showed that Ms. Zhang had petechia on her eyes, mouth, lips, and scalp and hemorrhaging around her neck. The medical examiner found no other signs of physical injury. The toxicology report showed no presence of controlled substances in Ms. Zhang's system.
According to a friend of Ms. Zhang, she was a "sex worker" and was told by "the organization she [Ms. Zhang] worked" to check on Ms. Zhang after they had not heard from her for a length of time following the arrival of a client at around 2:58 PM on October 12th. At around 3:39 PM, the organization received a message from Ms. Zhang's phone that the client had left the room. The organization continued to attempt to contact Ms. Zhang until about 3:45 PM, but they could not reach her.
A phone number for the last client Ms. Zhang saw was passed along to Investigators, who tied that number to Philip Wong. Police were able to additionally gather video from the hotel that tied Mr. Wong to the scene beginning around 2:54 PM wearing an Atlanta Falcons hat and leaving the hotel around 3:48 PM. Police were able to speak with another witness at the scene, a housekeeper, who had entered the room around 4:30 PM to empty the garbage cans and found Ms. Zhang on the bed, similar to how the friend and medics had found her previously. When she saw Ms. Zhang, she quickly left the room.
Police executed a search warrant of the hotel room where Ms. Zhang was found. During the search warrant, investigators found multiple cell phones, a large amount of used and unused condoms, a locked wallet, a SIM card taped to a white card, sheets with suspected blood on them, various pill bottles, food, clothing, and an Atlanta Falcons hat. One of the phones found belonged to Ms. Zhang, which showed an outgoing message in Mandarin that was sent to the organization that translated to "walk" at around 3:39 PM and that Ms. Zhang stopped answering her phone around 3:45 PM.
An additional search warrant was executed on Mr. Wong's residence on Tuesday, October 17th, where police collected clothing that matched those seen on Mr. Wong in the video surveillance and a cell phone. Mr. Wong told Officers that he arrived at the hotel for a massage and cuddle based on an Ad he had seen online. After the massage, he claims that Ms. Zhang offered him additional services, including sex, for an additional payment. After they were done, he told Police he took a shower and left the hotel. As he was leaving, he heard her phone ringing, and he forgot his hat because he was forgetful. He said he remembered he forgot his hat while driving home but never turned around to get it. Later that night, Mr. Wong said he received a call from someone in the organization that Ms. Zhang was dead, but he thought it was a scam and that they were trying to get more money from him.
Police interviewed a third witness, who was a friend and roommate of Mr. Wong. According to this witness, Mr. Wong told them after He [Mr. Wong] and Ms. Zhang finished having sex, Ms. Zhang tried to blackmail Mr. Wong, saying there was a hidden camera and that she wanted more money. That was when Mr. Wong "choked her out," but Mr. Wong supposedly said she was still breathing and searched the room for the hidden camera. When Ms. Zhang's phone rang, he left the room.
On Thursday, October 26th, Mr. Wong spoke with investigators again and said the Eagan Police had the full story from him. When asked what his friend said, he stated she was not taking it well and had moved out. He had also said he told his parents minimal details about the investigation. Investigators then spoke with Mr. Wong's family the next day, Friday, October 27th, where a 4th witness stated that Mr. Wong told a group of family members on October 20th that he might be arrested soon for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. He told them he was with someone when an altercation occurred, but when he left, she was still alive.
According to the media release from Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena, Mr. Wong made his first appearance in court today, where he got bail set at $750,000 with no conditions/$250,000 with conditions by Judge Tim Wermager. Mr. Wong's next court appearance is November 9, 2023, at 1:30 PM in Hastings, Minnesota.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena says, “My deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Jianqin Zhang for their great loss."
