Shaerin Kelley via KIRO7
A Washington State man who was shot nine times by two teens hired to kill him by his ex-wife said she is not receiving a harsh enough sentence.
Shaerin Rose Kelley faces up to 13 years in prison after she pleaded guilty Wednesday to solicitation to commit murder in the second degree in King County Superior Court, according to local NBC affiliate KING. She hired two teens $13,000 to kill her ex, Baron Li.
They were nearly successful in carrying out the hit which occurred outside Li’s apartment complex in Bellevue on July 10, 2020.
“I heard a pop. I thought it was a firework. I looked to the left. I didn’t see anything, I looked to the right, the second shot goes off, hits my arm,” Li told KING. “First shot to my chest and I was like, ‘Oh crap what am I going to do’ and dove into car putting my head underneath the steering wheel and then he unloaded another 5 shots on my left side.”
Li survived but underwent 15 months of therapy.
He said he instantly knew it was his ex-wife who was responsible for his near death. The two were locked in a bitter custody dispute over their disabled son, then 6.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the couple’s child had a trust fund from a settlement after he sustained brain damage as an infant. Li alleges his ex was seeking that money, though Kelley wrote in her guilty plea that the motive was not financial.
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Police say they were able to link Kelley to the crime after finding a tracking device on the victim’s car, and using online records to connect her to that device.
Joshua Good was the shooter while Quincy Mendez acted as a getaway driver. Both were 17 at the time of the shooting. They both pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
But Li says it’s Kelley who’s most responsible.
“If this goes through and the judge goes along with a plea agreement, my son’s only going to be 17 when she gets out. It’s not enough time,” Li said.
A spokesperson for the prosecutors office told KING while she is sympathetic to how Li feels, the guilty plea is consistent with a charge prosecutors believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
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