FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A man said to be the mastermind of a deadly mass shooting at a backyard party in Fresno makes his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Ger Lee was extradited to Fresno from Minnesota and was supposed to be arraigned in Fresno County Superior Court on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.
Sherburne County Sheriff’s Deputies and members of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Lee around 5:50 p.m. on New Year’s Eve in Big Lake Minnesota.
Lee is one of the seven alleged Mongolian Boys Society gang members to have been wanted by law enforcement and the Fresno District Attorney in connection to the four murders and twelve attempted murders at the backyard party where gunfire rang out back on November 17, 2019.
Fresno police believe the shooting was gang-related retaliation, but that it was a case of mistaken identity.
Court document say 27 year-old Lee was the person who assigned Billy Xiong to be the driver and Anthony Montes and Porge Kue to be the gunmen, entering the party, shooting 10 people; injuring six and killing four others.
All three men, Xiong, Montes and Kue pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on Jan 3, 2020. The defendants are facing four counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and twelve counts of attempted premeditated murder. If convicted of these charges in State Court, the defendants face either Death or Life in Prison without Parole. The District Attorney’s Office said it will make a determination and announcement regarding the death penalty at a later date.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, Judge Michael Idart agreed to the defense’s request for Ger Lee’s case to be continued until next Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020.
Judge Idart is operating under the assumption that this is a death penalty case.
The judge set Lee’s bail at $23.7 million dollars.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
