SAN RAMON — Police here say a brief relationship between a man and a woman nearly ended with the murder of the man’s 17-year-old relative.
Xiaojie Zhang, 40, of Union City, only dated her ex-boyfriend for five months after they met through mutual friends. But after he broke things off in September, she began to obsessively try to rekindle the flame, leading to stalking and eventually a chilling threat that police allege she attempted to make good on.
“If you don’t marry me, I will kill all five of us,” Zhang allegedly told her ex, which he believed was a reference to the two of them and three family members, according to police.
On Nov. 23, Zhang allegedly followed her ex-boyfriend’s 17-year-old relative down a residential neighborhood in San Ramon, as the boy walked his dog. He later reported seeing a woman following him, then increasing her speed, followed by a loud bang. The boy looked up, initially unaware that he’d been shot, and his first thought was to ask the woman if she was ok, police said.
Then he felt the blood trickling down his neck and ran for help. Zhang was quickly identified as a suspect based on her allegedly increasingly disturbing behavior. Police learned from her ex-boyfriend that she’d been showing up to his home and workplace unannounced, banging on doors and windows, then appearing at relatives’ youth sporting events. She also let him know she got a gun and was training with it, police said in court filings.
Her threats seemed centered on her desire to marry her ex, authorities allege.
After the shooting, police had two problems: locating Zhang, and tracking down another underage family member of the victim who they feared would be targeted next. The youth happened to be out of town that day, authorities said.
Zhang was arrested at her Union City home on Famoso Plaza, court records show. Her name and home address are listed on a daycare registration site, advertising it as a place for “safe, loving childcare” for local kids.
Zhang remains jailed on attempted murder and stalking charges, with bail set at $3.3 million. She is next due in court on Wednesday, records show.