For the “totally gratuitous” murder of a woman he did not know, Frank Cao was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 16 years. The killer strangled his victim with a strap, then hid the body in a car.
“The victim was a no-nonsense businesswoman, a great person in the community who had a well-known grocery store and restaurant in the community. It is very difficult to explain how this heinous crime could have been committed. There is just the accused who knows why he did that,” said Crown prosecutor M.e Tian Meng, in the press scrum. She teamed up with Me Matthew Ferguson during the trial.
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Shao Jing Lu, also known as Tammy
Owners of two daycares in Montérégie, Frank Cao was found guilty by a jury last December of the second degree murder of Shao Jing Lu, nicknamed Tammy. The 65-year-old man was initially charged with first-degree murder.
On September 7, 2020, Frank Cao entered a condo tower on L’Île-des-Sœurs, in Montreal. He had already lived there and had kept his access there. For five hours, the killer waited in the indoor parking lot. Around noon, he killed Tammy Lu as she walked to her vehicle.
A “very violent” murder, according to the judge. Frank Cao strangled his victim, presumably with the strap of his handbag. The killer then hid the body at the foot of the rear passenger bench. It was therefore Tammy Lu’s daughter who made the macabre discovery, while she had been looking for her mother for hours.
After the murder, Frank Cao hid in a fire exit of the building for 13 minutes, then changed his clothes before leaving in his car. The killer obviously thought he would get away with it, but his DNA was found under the victim’s fingernails and on her handbag.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SPVM
Frank Cao
Why did Frank Cao attack Tammy Lu? There is nothing in the evidence to explain it. Neither of them knew each other. However, the most credible theory, according to investigators, remains that Frank Cao wanted to kidnap the woman, while he was drowning in debt.
Frank Cao was also arrested in a story of extortion and kidnapping after the murder. However, he was acquitted, while committing not to contact the victim for a year. According to Judge Perreault, the evidence is “disturbing”, since it involves a ransom demand. However, she does not take this into account in her sentence.
Judge Perreault considers numerous aggravating factors in the murder case: the brutality of the force, the premeditation of the crime, the vulnerability of the victim, the absence of motive and the devastating consequences on the victim’s family. As the only mitigating factors, the judge noted the absence of a criminal record and the fact that the killer was an asset to the company.
The Crown requested an inadmissibility period of between 15 and 17 years, insisting on the gratuitous nature of the murder, while the defense requested 10 to 12 years due to the absence of a criminal record. The jury suggested a period of 18 years. The judge finally decided at 16 years old.