Prosecutors filed a murder charge Monday against Irvine man Jianquan Bo, 66, in connection with a deadly Chino Hills kidnapping stemming from a business dispute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zNW4kqAKEU
Bo faces a murder charge with a special-circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a kidnapping, along with a firearm enhancement
, with
capital punishment possible
.
The charges follow the July 29 killing of Chino Hills resident Shukur Aikebaer, 60, a married father of three adult daughters.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Monday that the slaying was a “calculated act of violence.”
According to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials, the incident began around 10:14 p.m. at a residence in the 2100 block of Monteverde Drive when the power to the home of local businessman Shukur Aikebaer was suddenly interrupted and when Aikebaer stepped outside into the dark to inspect the home’s electrical panel, investigators allege two men ambushed him.
He was shot and violently forced into the trunk of a waiting Nissan Altima bearing Oregon license plates.
At this point, authorities were entirely unaware they had intercepted an active kidnapping; deputies ordered the two occupants out of the vehicle and the passenger, identified as 66-year-old Jianquan Bo of Irvine, complied with commands and surrendered peacefully with his hands raised.
However, the driver chose violence.
The driver, 67-year-old Zhengfeng Bo, also from Irvine, ignored orders and in a shocking escalation captured on neighborhood surveillance footage, Zhengfeng walked to the back of the car, unlocked the trunk, and callously fired a fatal shot into Aikebaer.
Deputies instantly unleashed a barrage of lethal force, shooting and killing Zhengfeng Bo at the scene.
Despite immediate life-saving measures performed by authorities, Aikebaer succumbed to his gunshot wounds inside the trunk.
At a Monday press conference, District Attorney Jason Anderson addressed a seemingly puzzling question: how a passenger could face murder charges.
“One of the things that can be confusing to the public is… how can the passenger who gets out of the car be charged with murder?” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. “That’s the concept and the theory of felony murder. We allege that [Jianquan Bo] knew exactly what the plan was when they went to the victim’s home. What was going to be done, participated in, what led up to the death of Mr. Shukur, and that’s why we file murder charges against the surviving suspect.”
Although Jianquan Bo did not fire the fatal shot, Anderson alleges that evidence shows he was aware of and participated in the planned violence.
Authorities confirmed the brothers had a motive rooted in commercial real estate disputes.
Attorneys representing the deceased suspect recently confirmed to news outlets that the two men were deeply entangled in a complex legal battle over control of a $20 million apartment complex in Pasadena.
Bo claimed that former managers were preventing him from seizing control of the lucrative property, and allegedly identified Aikebaer as a “middleman” who brokered the disputed relationships.
Business records showed both men listed as having roles together in at least two LLCs.
When asked what the suspects hoped to accomplish, Anderson deferred.
“It’s always very, very difficult to explain criminal behavior… particularly something that was this dynamic and happened as quickly as this did.”
Investigators will look at business records to determine if something financial or a business decision triggered a dispute.
Jianquan Bo was expected to be arraigned Tuesday at a Rancho Cucamonga courthouse, with a special circumstance allegation filed, alleging the killing occurred during a kidnapping.
Aikebaer’s family expressed their devastation at the senseless killing.
“How did this man deserve to die like that?” Aikebaer’s daughter told KTLA in tears. “I was still waiting to see him grow old.”
A GoFundMe campaign created to support Aikebaer’s family had raised more than $34,000 by late Monday morning.
In the viral moment that stunned California, investigators allege the 67-year-old Zhengfeng Bo and his 66-year-old brother Jianquan cut the power to a Chino Hills home on the evening of July 29 to lure out a man they had a bitter business relationship with—Shukur Aikebaer, a 60-year-old businessman who had roles alongside Zhengfeng in at least two commercial real estate companies. When Aikebaer emerged to check his electrical panel, they shot him and forced him into their car trunk. As deputies pulled them over moments later on Wandering Ridge Drive, unaware a kidnapping had occurred, Zhengfeng exited the vehicle, opened the trunk, and fired a fatal shot into Aikebaer while surveillance cameras rolled. Deputies returned fire and killed him immediately.
Jianquan Bo is expected to be arraigned Tuesday at a Rancho Cucamonga courthouse.