Former MIT researcher who killed Yale graduate student sentenced to 35 years in prison

A erstwhile MIT researcher has been sentenced to 35 years successful situation for the sidesplitting of a Yale University postgraduate pupil successful Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A erstwhile researcher astatine the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years successful situation for the sidesplitting of a Yale University postgraduate pupil recovered changeable extracurricular his car connected a Connecticut street.

Qinxuan Pan, 33, who pleaded blameworthy to execution successful February, apologized during a proceeding successful a New Haven courtroom packed with household and friends of the victim, Kevin Jiang.

“I consciousness atrocious for what my actions caused and for everyone affected,” Pan said. “I afloat judge my penalties.”

Jiang, 26, a U.S. Army seasoned who grew up successful Chicago and a postgraduate pupil astatine Yale's School of the Environment, had conscionable near his fiancée's flat successful New Haven connected the evening of Feb. 6, 2021, erstwhile helium was changeable aggregate times by Pan, according to constabulary and prosecutors. The mates had conscionable gotten engaged days earlier.

Several of Jiang's relatives and friends spoke successful tribunal earlier the justice handed down the sentence, which Pan agreed to arsenic portion of his plea bargain.

“My lad was a singular young antheral who cherished beingness and held heavy (belief) successful God. He had a agleam aboriginal up — 1 that promised to dispersed God’s emotion acold and wide,” said Jiang's father, Mingchen Jiang.

A motive for the sidesplitting was ne'er made wholly clear. Investigators said they discovered that Pan and Jiang's fiancée were connected connected societal media and had met portion astatine MIT, wherever some had graduated from and wherever Pan was moving arsenic a researcher astatine the clip of the shooting.

According to the documents, Jiang’s fiancée told authorities she and Pan “never had a romanticist oregon intersexual relationship, they were conscionable friends, but she did get a feeling that helium was funny successful her during that time.”

After the shooting, Pan fled the country and eluded constabulary for 3 months earlier being apprehended successful Alabama, wherever officials said helium was caught surviving nether a fake sanction with $19,000 successful cash, a passport and respective cellphones.