Oklahoma prosecutors have officially charged a man with four counts first degree murder. This comes two weeks after he was accused of killing four workers at a marijuana plant and then fleeing the state.
Chen Wu, 45 years old, was taken into custody in Florida after his car was tagged.
The U.S. released this photo. Marshals Service photo of Chen Wu after he was detained by the Miami Beach Police on Tuesday Nov. 22, 2022 in South Florida. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP)
In court filings, the prosecution stated that Wu visited the pot farm located 55 miles north from Oklahoma City and demanded hundreds upon thousands of dollars he had already invested in it.
“Eyewitnesses of the murders have stated [Wu] demanded that $300,000.00 be given to him by other employees at the marijuana operation as a return on a portion of his investment in the enterprise,” Austin Murrey, Assistant District Attorney, wrote in court filings. The mass murder was precipitated by the fact that it couldn’t be given over at a moment’s notice.
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The shooting resulted in four Chinese nationals being killed and one more person being wounded.
The Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department has provided this photo of Wu Chen, who was the suspect in the killings of four people on a Oklahoma marijuana farm. (Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department via AP)
Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana in 2018. According to KFOR, at least 75% must be owned by Oklahoma residents. However, the application for a license to operate the farm where the quadruple murder occurred was fraudulently obtained.
Prosecutors requested Wu be held without bond. Wu’s attorney was not included in court records.
This report was contributed by The Associated Press.
