Shu Ming Tang.Photo: San Mateo Sheriff’s OfficeA 61-year-old Oklahoma woman has been charged with murder with special circumstances in the 1993 fatal shooting of a beloved California store owner who was killed during a robbery gone wrong.Rayna Elizabeth Hoffman-Ramos was arrested in Dewey, OK on March 16 in connection with the death of Shu Ming Tang, the owner of Devonshire Little Store in San Carlos.Hoffman-Ramos is awaiting extradition to California.The April 26, 1993, killing of Tang stunned the bedroom community of San Carlos. Tang, a retired Taiwanese Air Force officer, was shot once in the chest.“He brought his family over to America for a better life,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office detective Javier Acosta told PEOPLE. “He came here chasing the American dream.“A witness saw a brunette woman in her 20s leaving the store and driving off in a station wagon shortly after the shooting, said Acosta.“It was more of a random robbery,” he said. “We don’t believe he was targeted, it was more of a crime of opportunity.“San Mateo Sheriff’s Office via APThe slaying made national news and was featured on “America’s Most Wanted.“Detectives followed up on various leads over the years, but the case remained cold for close to three decades.The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit re-examined the case and uncovered new evidence around 2018, Acosta said.Acosta said detectives wrote search warrants for a residence in Sacramento and Washington County, OK.“As a result of the search warrants, new evidence was discovered and an arrest was made,” he said. “It was good old-fashioned police work coupled with advances in technology, new leads, and improved information management.“Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Acosta said Hoffman-Ramos was living in San Mateo County at the time of the slaying. She has not yet been arraigned.“Justice for Mr. Tang’s family is at hand,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos at a press conference Thursday. “I hope that your family will finally get the justice and closure that you deserve.”
Shu Ming Tang.Photo: San Mateo Sheriff’s Office
A 61-year-old Oklahoma woman has been charged with murder with special circumstances in the 1993 fatal shooting of a beloved California store owner who was killed during a robbery gone wrong.Rayna Elizabeth Hoffman-Ramos was arrested in Dewey, OK on March 16 in connection with the death of Shu Ming Tang, the owner of Devonshire Little Store in San Carlos.Hoffman-Ramos is awaiting extradition to California.The April 26, 1993, killing of Tang stunned the bedroom community of San Carlos. Tang, a retired Taiwanese Air Force officer, was shot once in the chest.“He brought his family over to America for a better life,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office detective Javier Acosta told PEOPLE. “He came here chasing the American dream.“A witness saw a brunette woman in her 20s leaving the store and driving off in a station wagon shortly after the shooting, said Acosta.“It was more of a random robbery,” he said. “We don’t believe he was targeted, it was more of a crime of opportunity.“San Mateo Sheriff’s Office via APThe slaying made national news and was featured on “America’s Most Wanted.“Detectives followed up on various leads over the years, but the case remained cold for close to three decades.The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit re-examined the case and uncovered new evidence around 2018, Acosta said.Acosta said detectives wrote search warrants for a residence in Sacramento and Washington County, OK.“As a result of the search warrants, new evidence was discovered and an arrest was made,” he said. “It was good old-fashioned police work coupled with advances in technology, new leads, and improved information management.“Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Acosta said Hoffman-Ramos was living in San Mateo County at the time of the slaying. She has not yet been arraigned.“Justice for Mr. Tang’s family is at hand,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos at a press conference Thursday. “I hope that your family will finally get the justice and closure that you deserve.”
A 61-year-old Oklahoma woman has been charged with murder with special circumstances in the 1993 fatal shooting of a beloved California store owner who was killed during a robbery gone wrong.
Rayna Elizabeth Hoffman-Ramos was arrested in Dewey, OK on March 16 in connection with the death of Shu Ming Tang, the owner of Devonshire Little Store in San Carlos.
Hoffman-Ramos is awaiting extradition to California.
The April 26, 1993, killing of Tang stunned the bedroom community of San Carlos. Tang, a retired Taiwanese Air Force officer, was shot once in the chest.
“He brought his family over to America for a better life,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office detective Javier Acosta told PEOPLE. “He came here chasing the American dream.”
A witness saw a brunette woman in her 20s leaving the store and driving off in a station wagon shortly after the shooting, said Acosta.
“It was more of a random robbery,” he said. “We don’t believe he was targeted, it was more of a crime of opportunity.”
San Mateo Sheriff’s Office via AP
The slaying made national news and was featured on “America’s Most Wanted.”
Detectives followed up on various leads over the years, but the case remained cold for close to three decades.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit re-examined the case and uncovered new evidence around 2018, Acosta said.
Acosta said detectives wrote search warrants for a residence in Sacramento and Washington County, OK.
“As a result of the search warrants, new evidence was discovered and an arrest was made,” he said. “It was good old-fashioned police work coupled with advances in technology, new leads, and improved information management.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Acosta said Hoffman-Ramos was living in San Mateo County at the time of the slaying. She has not yet been arraigned.
“Justice for Mr. Tang’s family is at hand,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos at a press conference Thursday. “I hope that your family will finally get the justice and closure that you deserve.”
source: people.com
