Bellevue woman who hired teens to gun down ex-husband sentenced to 14 years

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Another step toward justice in a botched murder-for-hire plot in Bellevue, after the ringleader, Shaerin Rose Kelley, was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison on Friday.

Kelley reversed her not guilty plea in October, admitting to hiring two teen boys to gun down her ex-husband. The teens shot Baron Li nine times at his apartment complex three years ago, but incredibly, Li survived and recovered.

Court documents say the motive in all this was Kelley’s anger toward Li in a bitter custody dispute over their son.

“I am going to give you a high end sentence in this matter,” the judge said on Friday. “I believe you deserve more time than the shooter in this case because you’re the one who orchestrated this criminal action.”

Li was at Friday’s sentencing, and he believes 14 years “still isn’t enough.”

“At the end after all was said and done, she turned around and smirked at us,” he said. “So, it shows there’s just zero remorse.”

Li said he was more sympathetic to the teens who shot him. He agreed with the reduced time in their plea deal when they were sentenced in August.

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