Man recives 20-year sentence for strangling a woman to death in an Eagan hotel

A Little Canada man will spend nearly two decades behind bars after pleading guilty to killing a woman inside an Eagan hotel in 2023.

According to the office of the Dakota County Attorney, Kathryn Keena, Philip Jedidiah Wong, 27, was sentenced to 240 months(20 years) in prison on Wednesday for reportedly killing 53-year-old Jianqin Zhang of China.

Wong will receive 658 days of credit for time served.

According to a criminal complaint, Eagan Police were called to an Eagan hotel around 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2023, after an unconscious woman was found by a hotel staff member.

When first responders arrived, they found the woman, later identified as Zhang, face down on the bed and was was later pronounced dead.

According to authorities, Wong had reportedly entered the hotel and met with Zhang for a massage, after which he paid Zhang to have sex with him.

Wong reportedly told police Zhang then claimed their encounter had been recorded by hidden cameras in the room, and requested more money from Wong.

Wong said he then “choked her out,” but said he believed she was still breathing when he left.

An autopsy showed Zhang’s cause of death was strangulation.
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