Antony Abreu was Hired by Co-Conspirators to Kill the Victim in Exchange for a Richard Mille Luxury Wristwatch
A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Antony Abreu on both counts of an indictment charging him with murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy in connection with the February 12, 2019 killing of 31-year-old Xin “Chris” Gu, outside of a karaoke bar in Queens. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon. When sentenced, the defendant faces a mandatory term of life in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“With this conviction of Abreu, a cold-blooded triggerman who executed a young man in exchange for an expensive wristwatch, this Office has held all the conspirators responsible for this murder plot driven by greed and revenge,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The victim was marked for death simply because he was pursuing the American dream by starting his own company. Chris Gu was celebrating his promising future and the Chinese New Year when his life was violently ended in the street on without warning. His killers will spend the rest of their lives in prison.”
“Antony Abreu appraised Xin “Chris” Gu to be worth that of an expensive watch, murdering him for such jewelry. After Gu decided to pursue his own business dream, his slighted employer bribed Abreu to carry out the final step in this twisted judge, jury, and executioner scheme. This conviction of the final defendant in this cold-blooded conspiracy emphasizes the FBI’s commitment to restoring the balance of justice and reaffirming that no individual is permitted to put a price on another’s life,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“The tireless work of the detectives, agents, and prosecutors in this case helped hold to full account the men responsible for this murder,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “This is another example of our agencies’ collaborative commitment to public safety, and further proof that no one is beyond the reach of the law.”
As proven at trial, Abreu was hired to murder Gu as part a revenge scheme orchestrated by Gu’s former boss, Allen Yu. Allen Yu’s business, Amaco, lost substantial business when Gu left to start his own property development company. Enraged at Gu’s perceived disloyalty, Allen Yu hired co-conspirators You You and Zhe Zhang to kill Gu in exchange for payment. Zhang in turn hired Abreu to carry out the murder.
On the evening of February 11, 2019, and into the following pre-dawn hours, Gu’s new company hosted a celebration of the Lunar New Year at Lake Pavilion restaurant in Flushing. After dinner, Gu and a smaller group went to a karaoke bar, Grand Slam KTV in Flushing. When Gu left the bar and was getting into a cab, Abreu approached and shot Gu multiple times at close range, killing him. In exchange for committing the murder, Zhang gave Abreu a luxury Richard Mille wristwatch valued at over $100,000.
In the days after the murder, in an effort to avoid detection, Abreu sold the car he used in the murder to a relative and sold a burner phone used to facilitate the murder. In the following months, Abreu repeatedly bragged about committing the murder to various associates and posted on social media about the wristwatch Zhang had given him. After his arrest, Abreu obtained a contraband phone in jail, which he used to attempt to intimidate and retaliate against government witnesses in the case and to make payments to potential defense witnesses.
You You pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire conspiracy in June 2023 and is awaiting sentencing. Allen Yu and Zhang were convicted at trial in October 2023 and face mandatory life sentences when they are sentenced.
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