Key witness in murder trial of Chinese American scion jailed

The prosecution in the murder trial of a wealthy San Francisco Bay Area real estate scion has hit a major snag: A key witness has been arrested on suspicion that he tried to contact a witness for the defense.

Prosecutors now may not allow Olivier Adella to testify at the trial of Tiffany Li and her boyfriend Kaveh Bayat, the Mercury News in San Jose reported Friday.

The couple is charged with murder in the 2016 killing of Keith Green, the father of Li's children.

Tiffany Li, right, and her attorney Geoff Carr, left, arrive at the courthouse Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Redwood City, Calif. The trial of Li, a Chinese real estate scion who posted a $35 million bail after being charged with orchestrating the 2016 murder of her children's father, is set to start Thursday.(AP PhotoTony Avelar)

Adella was arrested Thursday, the day the trial was scheduled to begin. Opening statements are now set for Tuesday.

Li has been free on bail since 2017 after her family, which made millions from Chinese construction projects, posted an astonishing $35 million bail that has allowed her to stay in her Hillsborough mansion pending trial. Bayat was never able to post his bail and remains in custody.

Green's body was found along a dirt road in Sonoma County nearly two weeks after he had been last seen meeting with Li to discuss custody of their children. Prosecutors say she feared losing custody to him.

Tiffany Li, foreground, arrives at the courthouse Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Redwood City, Calif. The trial of Li, a Chinese real estate scion who posted a $35 million bail after being charged with orchestrating the 2016 murder of her children's father, is set to start Thursday.(AP PhotoTony Avelar)

Adella is a former co-defendant who was expected to testify that the pair asked him to dispose of Green's body.

Defense attorneys say Adella is an unreliable witness who reached a plea deal for a reduced charge. They say he reached out to his former girlfriend after not talking to her for years, saying he knew she was working with the defense.

"We were having difficulty convincing her to come because she was already afraid of him," said Geoffrey Carr, Li's attorney.

FILE - This undated booking photo provided by the San Mateo County, Calif., Sheriff's Office shows Tiffany Li. The trial of Li, a Chinese real estate scion who posted a $35 million bail after being charged with orchestrating the 2016 murder of her children's father, is set to start Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Northern California. Tiffany Li's wealthy family, who made millions operating Chinese construction projects, helped her post the unprecedented bail, allowing her to remain under house arrest at her mansion. (San Mateo County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

But Adella's attorney, Dek Ketchum, said the messages were the result of "bad judgment" and they never had a conversation about the case.

Green and Li met around 2009 when he was 21 and she was 23. He was a high school football star from a blue-collar neighborhood while Li was rich and educated.

Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com

Geoffrey Carr, left, and May Mar, attorney's for Tiffany Li, walk out of the courthouse after opening statements were delayed in Li's trial, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Redwood City, Calif. Li, a Chinese real estate scion, posted a $35 million bail after being charged with orchestrating the 2016 murder of her children's father. (AP PhotoTony Avelar)

Geoffrey Carr, left, and May Mar attorney's for Tiffany Li, talks with reporters outside the courthouse after opening statements were delayed in Li's trial, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Redwood City, Calif. Li, a Chinese real estate scion, posted a $35 million bail after being charged with orchestrating the 2016 murder of her children's father. (AP PhotoTony Avelar)

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.

“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.

“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”

Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.

Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.

The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.

The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.

In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)