Two convicted in Oakland Starbucks laptop robbery that killed engineer
OAKLAND >> A jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday on charges of murder and manslaughter against two men involved in the Dec. 31, 2019 laptop robbery that killed a Bay Area research engineer and sparked widespread outrage in its aftermath.
Byron Reed, 24, was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of 34-yearold Shuo Zeng. Kejuan Wiggins, 20 was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Both men were also convicted of robbing Zeng of his laptop.
Zeng was killed on his 34th birthday, which he planned to celebrate that evening as he brought in the new year. He was working on his laptop at the Starbucks on Mountain Boulevard in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood when Wiggins came up from behind him and grabbed his laptop. Zeng chased Wiggins, screaming for his laptop, then grasped onto Reed’s BMW while Reed sped off.
Zeng was knocked from the BMW and then Reed ran him over, killing him. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Wiggins kicked Zeng off the car.
Reed faces 15 years to life on the murder conviction alone, while Wiggins faces up to 12 years for the manslaughter count. Both men are slated to be sentenced this January, prosecutors said. A lookout for the robbery, 23-year-old Javon Lee, pleaded no contest to robbery charges before the trial and awaits sentencing. He faces between two and 10 years.
Jurors deliberated for five days before convicting Reed of murder, then went back and deliberated for another day before convicting Wiggins of voluntary manslaughter. Wiggins was acquitted of a murder charge.
During trial, prosecutors argued that both men were guilty of first-degree murder, that Reed and Wiggins were both responsible for killing Zeng, and that both men were active participants in the robbery. Reed’s attorney argued that Reed was unaware Zeng grabbed ahold of the car and Wiggins’ lawyer attacked the credibility of the single prosecution witness who claimed Wiggins kicked Zeng.
During the investigation, authorities recovered text messages between Reed, Wiggins, and Lee that showed they were plotting thefts around the Bay Area. At one point they talked about how they would have to figure out an alternate method than breaking into cars, since no one had a “bip,” or car burglary tool, according to police testimony.
Deputy district attorney Charles Bisesto described the Starbucks incident as a laptop theft that elevated into a robbery and then into murder when the group used violence to stop Zeng from retrieving the computer.
Zeng’s death caused outrage throughout the Bay Area, and shook the Montclair community. In its aftermath, residents covered the window of the Starbucks with sticky notes conveying their love to Zeng’s family and friends and held a vigil with hundreds of mourners.
A LinkedIn profile for Zeng said he had been a research engineer and scientist for Aspera in Emeryville, working on deep-learning and computer-network research and development projects since 2015. Before then, he had earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Sichuan University and a doctorate from Kansas State University. In his profile bio for the photo-sharing site 500px, he described himself as “a wanderer who appreciates beautiful and meaningful photography in his spare time.”