The King County Prosecuting’s Attorney’s office charged Shaerin Kelley, 30, and two teenagers Monday with attempted first degree murder. The teens are being charged as adults.
Police say Kelley hired Joseph Good, 17, to kill her ex-husband for $13,000 dollars. According to detectives, Good offered his friend, Quincy Mendez, a portion of that money to drive him from Mount Vernon to the victim’s apartment in Bellevue’s Lakemont neighborhood.
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Prosecutors say Good shot Baron Li nine times outside his apartment in Lakemont on July 10. Li tried to hide inside his car to protect his head and chest. He survived the shooting and according to the police report, immediately told police he believed his ex-wife was responsible.
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Li told investigators he’d been in a custody battle with Kelley over his 6-year-old special needs son for the last 5 years. He told police his son has a trust fund, a settlement from when he suffered brain damage as an infant. Li believes Kelley wanted the money.
After serving search warrants detectives found a tracking device placed on Li’s car, they connected the device back to Kelley through online records.
Kelley, 30, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. The teens, Good and Mendez, are both charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder.
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Kelley was arrested on Thursday in Mountlake Terrace where she lives. The teens were arrested in Mount Vernon. Detectives are still investigating the link between Kelley and the teens.
When Li survived the shooting Kelley and the teens did not give up, according to court documents they planned to finish the job.
Li spent a week in the hospital and is still struggling to recover from his injuries. Incredibly, none of the bullets hit any of his organs or arteries.
Kelley and the two teens are charged with attempted first degree murder. They will be arraigned on the charges October 26th.
A GoFundMe link for Baron Li can be found at this link.
Cox Media Group
