Bellevue Police Arrest 3 In Alleged Murder-For-Hire Scheme

BELLEVUE, WA — The Bellevue Police Department has unraveled a murder-for-hire scheme linked to a July shooting that left a 48-year-old man with several gunshot wounds, police said Friday.

According to prosecutors, Shaerin Kelley, 30, offered a 17-year-old boy roughly $13,000 to shoot Baron Li, 48, her ex-husband. A probable cause document said the suspect asked his friend, another 17-year-old boy, to drive him from Mount Vernon to Bellevue on July 10.

That morning, multiple 911 calls reported several shots fired at the Overlook at Lakemont Apartments. Officers arrived to find Li near his vehicle with approximately nine gunshot wounds to his legs, arms and chest. Police said he survived and continues to recover from his injuries.

Since the shooting, detectives interviewed several witnesses and reviewed surveillance video in the area. Police said one camera captured the license plate on a pickup truck, believed to be the getaway vehicle, which was registered to the father of one of the teens. Cell phone records also showed both boys traveled from Mount Vernon to Bellevue and back on the morning of the shooting, police said.

During the investigation, detectives said they also learned of a GPS device that had been placed on the victim's vehicle, which was purchased by Kelley. According to investigators, Li told police he was in the middle of a "very acrimonious" custody battle at the time of the shooting.

Police arrested Kelley and both boys Thursday. Detectives said Kelley invoked her right to an attorney, but one of the boys admitted to playing a role in the shooting. At a first court appearance Friday, a judge found probable cause for first-degree attempted murder and set bail at $2 million for Kelley. Formal charges are likely to be filed next week.

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