Hitman who killed Oakland woman in murder orchestrated by boyfriend is sentenced

Hasheem Bason has been sentenced for his role in the murder-for-hire of a respected East Bay dentist.

OAKLAND — Hasheem Bason has been sentenced to a term of 15 years to life in state prison for his role in the murder-for-hire of respected East Bay dentist Lili Xu who was killed in 2022 near her Oakland home.

The sentencing arises from the August 2022 murder of Dr. Xu who was shot in Oakland as she left her vehicle on 5th Avenue.

Investigators determined that Nelson Chia, the romantic partner of Dr. Xu, orchestrated the murder of the dentist and hired Bason, 35, to carry out the murder.

“The month before she was killed, Dr. Xu discovered that Mr. Chia was involved in multiple acts of infidelity while he was simultaneously trying to take control of her sizable assets,” the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office stated in a prepared release. “Further investigation uncovered evidence of Mr. Chia openly discussing how he could capitalize on Dr. Xu’s death.”

At one point after Xu’s death, Chia held a banquet in the slain dentist’s honor, using the event to raise money for his foundation.

Chia, investigators claimed, played the role of a grieving boyfriend while also being the mastermind of the murder-for-hire scheme that caused Xu’s death.

Investigators determined that Chia pressured Bason into playing a key role in the murder of Dr. Xu.

“Chia had allegedly established an inappropriate exploitative relationship with Mr. Bason when Mr. Bason was a vulnerable youth,” Alameda County prosecutors stated. “Years later, Chia allegedly tracked Mr. Bason down and threatened to reveal the secrets of his youth unless Mr. Bason assisted him in the plot to murder Dr. Xu.”

Bason was identified as the gunman through a DNA test of a shell casing.

Police said Chia hoped to grab $12 million to $14 million in assets and life insurance as a result of Dr. Wu’s death.

In October 2022, soon after Chia was arrested and booked into the Alameda County jail at Santa Rita, he committed suicide.

“The person who truly deserves the maximum punishment under the law is Nelson Chia, the mastermind of this horrible crime,” Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in a prepared release. “Chia, who was arrested for the crime, took his own life to avoid facing justice for his role.”