Little Canada man pleads guilty to strangling sex worker in Eagan hotel room

A Little Canada man has pleaded guilty to strangling a woman who was working as a prostitute in an Eagan hotel room in Philip Jedidiah Wong recounted police he paid the woman for sex but commented he didn t learn she was dead until someone from her organization called and informed him according to the criminal complaint charging him with second-degree intentional murder and first-degree manslaughter Philip Jedidiah Wong Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff s Office Wong mentioned he did not believe she was dead and thought it was a scam and they were trying to get more money from him the complaint says However Wong s roommate explained investigators he declared he choked her out after she tried to blackmail him Wong reached an agreement with the prosecution and pleaded guilty last week to second-degree intentional murder The agreement calls for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines to between and years in prison The manslaughter charge will be dismissed at sentencing which is set for July Wong entered an Alford plea on the element of intent meaning he maintains innocence while acknowledging the state likely has enough evidence to convict him Wong s attorney Adam Johnson argued in a February court document that the state had no direct evidence establishing that he intended to take the woman s life Johnson pointed out that Wong notified officers she was alive when he left He left his hat behind According to the complaint the woman identified as -year-old Jianqin Zhang was discovered dead Oct by a housekeeper and Zhang s friend at Microtel Inn Suites east of Interstate E and west of Lexington Avenue The Hennepin County Curative Examiner s Office detected hemorrhaging on Zhang s neck along with petechiae small spots caused by burst blood vessels on her eyes mouth lips and scalp The cause of death was ruled to be strangulation She was from Shanghai China A friend advised police that Zhang was a sex worker and that she checked on her because the organization had not heard from her for a while after meeting with a client The friend gave police a phone number of the client later identified as Wong Video surveillance from the hotel shows Wong entering the hotel around p m wearing an Atlanta Falcons hat and leaving the hotel about an hour later Zhang was the only registered guest of the room which she had reserved from Sept to Oct After a search warrant was executed on the room police exposed several cellphones used and unused condoms a locked wallet bloody sheets pill bottles food clothing and an Atlanta Falcons hat One of the phones belonged to Zhang and an examination displayed a message was sent to the organization at p m in Mandarin When translated in English the message noted walk She stopped answering her phone around p m Police searched Wong s apartment and exposed clothing that appeared to match those he was seen wearing on video surveillance His cellphone was also seized Related Articles Judge dismisses former Washington County deputy s sexual-harassment lawsuit Mexican national with ties to cartel sentenced to federal prison after South St Paul drug bust Woodbury attorney disbarred after being convicted of swindling client rd person pleads guilty in k attempt to bribe Feeding Our Future juror Former legislative aide sues Council Member Anika Bowie city of St Paul Wong gave a declaration to police saying he responded to an online ad for a massage and cuddle He commented he met Zhang in her room paying her for a massage then another for sex He commented he took a shower before leaving He realized on his way home that he forgot his hat but did not go back for it Wong s roommate then explained police that he had described her Zhang commented she had a hidden camera in the room and demanded more money from him In response Wong choked her out but he thought she was still breathing the complaint states Wong then searched the room for the hidden camera and left when the victim s phone rang In a follow-up interview with police Wong declared he didn t have anything to add to his earlier declaration Court records show Wong has no prior criminal convictions beyond two petty misdemeanor driving offenses