On November 9, 2021, a jury found defendant Byron Reed guilty of the second-degree murder of Shuo Zeng 34.
The jury also found co-defendant Kejuan Wiggins guilty of robbery and causing great bodily. On November 10, 2021, Kejuan Wiggins was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
Zeng was working at a Starbucks coffee shop on Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair district of Oakland on the morning of December 31, 2019. As he was working, Wiggins snatched his laptop from him, and fled into an awaiting vehicle.
Zeng chased after the thief, hanging onto the BMW getaway car. Reed was determined to be the getaway driver and Wiggins the thief who kicked Zeng as he tried to get his laptop back. Zeng was ejected from the car to the ground where he was run over by the car driven by Reed. A third suspect, Javon Lee, who served as a lookout, pleaded no contest to robbery before the trial began.
Zeng was a research engineer and scientist who worked in the East Bay. After his tragic murder, the community left notes on the windows of the Starbucks with messages to Zeng’s family.
Reed was also convicted of robbery and causing great bodily injury.
Reed faces 15 to 30 years in prison; Wiggins 12 years; and Lee faces between two and 10 years in prison. All three defendants are expected to be sentenced Jan. 7 in Department 10.
The case was prosecuted by DDA Charles Bisesto, with assistance from Victim Witness Advocate Tabian Lee and DA Investigator Phil Green.