Man who forgot hat in Twin Cities hotel room where he murdered sex worker is sentenced

A man who connected with a sex worker in a Twin Cities hotel and strangled her to death received a 20-year sentence Wednesday.

Philip J. Wong, 27, of Little Canada was sentenced in Dakota County District Court after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the strangulation of Jianqin Zhang, 53, on Oct. 12, 2023, at the Microtel Inn and Suites on Denmark Avenue in Eagan.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Wong is expected to serve slightly more than 12 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Wong’s admission came in what is known as an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence but acknowledged there was ample evidence to convict him.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were told that a hotel employee and a friend of Zhang’s checked on the woman shortly before midnight on Oct. 12, 2023, and found her body. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.

Preliminary findings by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office found injuries consistent with Zhang being strangled.

An organization member disclosed that a client came to the hotel at 2:58 p.m. on Oct. 12, and a message from Zhang’s phone indicated the client left at 3:39 p.m. The organization’s efforts to reach her after 3:45 p.m. brought no response.

Hotel video showed Wong, wearing an Atlanta Falcons hat, entering the hotel at 2:54 p.m. and leaving at 3:48 p.m.

Police searched the room and found cellphones, condoms and an Atlanta Falcons hat.

Wong told police he saw an online ad and went to the hotel “to receive a massage and cuddle,” the charges read. He said he paid Zhang $250 for a massage and sex. Wong said he realized while driving from the hotel that he left his hat behind, but he decided not to retrieve it.

He added that someone with the organization called him and said Zhang was dead. He said he didn’t believe the caller and suspected it was an attempt to get more money from him.