Decision Delayed on Retrying Murder Case
ORANGE COUNTY — Prosecutors said Monday that they will await the outcome of court appeals before deciding whether to retry a Rancho Santa Margarita woman whose murder conviction was overthrown last week.
The state’s 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that investigators repeatedly ignored Li-Yun “Lisa” Peng’s request for an attorney and continued to grill her for nine hours, then enlisted the help of her husband to elicit incriminating statements from her.
Peng, 49, was sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for the stabbing death of Ranbing “Jennifer” Ji, 25, and the suffocation of Ji’s infant son. Peng’s husband was the father of Ji’s baby.
Tori Richards, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney, said prosecutors are consulting with the state attorney general’s office to review the case, but a retrial is unlikely any time soon.
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