Teenager Charged In Fatal Shooting Of St. Paul Woman

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A teenager has been charged with second-degree murder for the killing of a businesswoman in St. Paul last week, police say.

On the evening of Feb. 16, 34-year-old Julia (Yuliya) Li was found shot in her car on the 1000 block of Payne Avenue in St. Paul. Emergency crews brought her to Regions Hospital, where she later died.

The 15-year-old was taken into custody in Minneapolis and is being held at the Hennepin County Jail, according to the St. Paul Police Department.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office confirmed the murder charges and said the petition is not public due to the defendant's age. Prosecutors will seek to have him tried as an adult, according to the office. Police said the teen has "an extensive and violent criminal history."

"Sadly, this is yet another example of how our system has failed to put victims first, failed to help a young person going down a dangerous and destructive path, and failed our entire community," St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said.

Li worked at H.B. Fuller in Vadnais Heights as a global business director, company spokeswoman Kimberlee Sinclair said in an email, and her colleagues mourn her loss. She added that Li was "a beloved friend to many" and "a young, vibrant woman with a lot to offer the world."

"This tragic, senseless violence brought an end to the life of a bright, well-respected, committed, hard-working professional who will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her," said Jim Owens, president and CEO of H.B. Fuller. "It is even more gut-wrenching to learn that, had this young suspect not fallen through the cracks and had he received proper guidance and support, a community would not have been terrorized, and Julia would be alive today."

Steve Linders, spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department, said Wednesday there is nothing to indicate that Li and the suspect knew each other at the time of the fatal shooting. He said there is no known motive at this time.

"She appears to be a woman just going about her daily business when she was shot for some reason," said Linders.

Li moved to the United States in 2007 to study at the University of Minnesota, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Economics and Global Studies, the company said. She left the Twin Cities to work for GE and Procter & Gamble before returning to St. Paul in 2016 to earn her MBA from the University of St. Thomas. She joined H.B. Fuller in 2017.