Based on an agreed statement of facts presented at the sentencing, Tang did not have a girlfriend and often hired sex workers as escorts or sexual companions.
The judge heard that Li often met men on internet dating websites and, on occasion, worked as a sex trade worker to make extra money.
The documents indicate Li was “actively trying to meet a man that she could marry and with whom she could begin a family in Canada.”
Tang, according to the documents, hired Li on two or three occasions where he paid her $800 for sexual services at a hotel.
On the night that she was killed, Li met with Tang for dinner and a movie before going to his apartment.
Once there, Li told Tang she was pregnant, demanded he give her money and threatened to tell his mother if he didn’t.
According to the statement of facts, Tang admitted to retaliating and a struggle ensued. At some point, Tang held Li down with his elbow pressed against her neck with such force that it eventually caused her death.