DORAVILLE, Ga. — Two suspects are spending another night in jail after a judge denied bond in the murder of a DeKalb County taxi driver.
Shaowei Zhou, 68, never made it home while driving from Macon to Doraville in December.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden obtained court records that allege that Jose Mendoza and Veronica Velasco were passengers in Zhou’s taxi.
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That’s when they say Mendoza strangled him to death, but the reason for doing so is still under investigation.
Prosecutors say Mendoza and Velasco worked together to hide Zhou’s body before driving off in his SUV.
Later, prosecutors say Mendoza reached out to Alan Reto-Ullien, a taxi driver who sells used cars, to try and get rid of Zhou’s SUV.
In court on Monday, Reto-Ullien’s attorney argued that her client did not the SUV had been stolen or involved in a crime, so he should be granted bond.
“One of his clients came to him with the vehicle and told him it belonged to his brother, that his brother had been arrested and needed help selling it,” the attorney argued.
Doraville police say the investigation is ongoing, and that more than the three people already charged may soon face charges.
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