Four Fresno men face quadruple murder trial for suspected gang-related mass shooting
Four alleged members of a Fresno gang will stand trial for murder, and attempted murder, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
The four defendants, Ger Lee, 29, Anthony Montes, 29; Porge Kue, 28; and Billy Xiong, 27, are charged with four counts of murder and 12 counts of attempted murder for the Nov. 17, 2019, mass shooting.
The defendants remain in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $24 million each.
An arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 21 in Dept. 31. If the defendants are found guilty, they could be sentenced to death or spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutor Kelly Smith said a decision had not been made on whether to pursue the death penalty.
Smith presented evidence during the 14-day preliminary hearing that the defendants, members of the Mongolian Boys Society gang, were seeking revenge for the murder of a gang member’s brother.
Prosecutors said the plan was to sneak into the backyard of a suspected gang rival’s home and open fire. But police and witnesses testified there were no gang members there that night.
Instead, prosecutors said, the defendants took the lives of four people — Kou Xiong, 38; Xy Lee, 23; Kalaxang Thao, 40; and Phia Vang, 31. The victims were attending a football watching in the backyard of a home in the 5300 block of East Lamona Avenue.
Smith said the trial of the four defendants could take up to six months. Three other defendants are facing federal charges and will be called as witnesses in the murder trial.
