Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the murder trial of Dao Xiong, a 20-year-old Oakdale resident accused of killing a man who was trying to sell his car on Craigslist nearly a year ago.
Xiong was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the September slaying of You Lor, a 33-year-old father of four who had just moved with his family to St. Paul from Pennsylvania. A Washington County grand jury added an indictment against Xiong for first-degree murder, a more serious charge that includes premeditation, and set bail at $2 million.
He has been held in the Washington County jail.
Keng K. Thao, 20, of Maplewood, charged with second-degree murder in the case, also remains in custody awaiting trial scheduled for Oct. 31.
Washington County deputies found Lor about 2:15 p.m. on Sept. 9 lying in a ditch in the 8900 block of 55th Street N. in Lake Elmo. The road is off De Montreville Trail N., just south of Hwy. 36. A few homes and farms are nearby. The victim was found near Green Acres, a skiing and tubing area.
Passersby had seen a silver car with a maroon front speed away, then saw Lor and called for help. He was shot in the stomach and gasping for air, the complaint says. He was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension learned from Lor's wife, Katie, that he had been trying to sell a 2003 Nissan 350Z, a sports car valued at $17,000, on Craigslist.
Witnesses, cellphone records and other evidence led investigators to Xiong, the complaint says, and items found in a search of his home -- including a .40-caliber handgun that he acknowledged was the murder weapon -- resulted in his arrest.
