Ex-NYPD officer admits she shot ex-girlfriend and killed her new lover in love-triangle ambush
A former cop pleaded guilty to killing her ex-girlfriend’s new lover and shooting her estranged sweetheart with an NYPD-issued gun – agreeing to up to 27 years behind bars, officials said.
Off-duty Officer Yvonne Wu, 34, admitted on Thursday in Brooklyn Supreme Court to the double shooting of her ex-girlfriend Jenny Li, 34, and Li’s new lover, Jamie Liang, 24, on Oct. 13, 2021 – injuring Li and killing Liang, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Wu, who was officially fired Monday, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree attempted murder before Judge Danny Chun.
As part of her plea deal with prosecutors, she agreed to a sentencing recommendation of 27 years imprisonment when Chun is slated to dole out her punishment on Aug. 28. The judge does not have to sign off on the agreement.
Wu, of Staten Island, was charged with first-degree murder and related crimes and could have faced up to life in prison if convicted on that count.
The five-year veteran of the 72nd Precinct in Sunset Park is accused of waiting for hours outside Li’s Brooklyn home until her ex – whom she dated for two years – showed up with her new love interest.
Wu – who was off duty at the time – then shot the duo with her NYPD-issued gun inside the Bensonhurst home and remained there until the police showed up, cooly confessing to shooting someone, cops said at the time.
Wu had broken up with Li just three weeks prior to the murder and may have been holding onto hope that she and Li would get back together, sources said at the time.
The disgraced cop had been suspended without pay pending the outcome of her criminal case. A spokesperson with the NYPD confirmed that she “was dismissed from the police department” Monday.
Liang’s family brought a wrongful death suit against Wu and the city in 2022, alleging the NYPD knew Wu was “psychologically unfit and a danger to others,” but they didn’t force her to turn in her gun.
The case is still pending and has not gone to trial yet, according to Liang’s family lawyer Sanford Rubenstein.
“We look forward to deposing [Wu] under oath,” Rubenstein said. “The guilty plea has a significant impact on the liability of the city of New York and the NYPD for what happened.”
Wu – who has been in jail since her arraignment – will continue to be held without bail until her sentencing.
Her criminal defense attorney didn’t immediately return a request for comment Monday morning.
Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
