SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The University of Utah has agreed to pay a $5 million settlement to the parents of Zhifan Dong, 19, who police say was murdered by a fellow student in February 2022.
In addition to the $5 million payment to the family, the University of Utah will establish an on-campus memorial in Dong’s memory, the university announced in a news release Tuesday.
University officials say the settlement “honors her memory and resolves any outstanding legal claims against the university” for Dong’s death Feb. 11, 2022, in a downtown Salt Lake City hotel.
“Our campus continues to mourn the death of Zhifan Dong,” University of Utah President Taylor Randall said. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong and reaffirming our commitment to the ongoing work of addressing all aspects of student safety.”
Fellow U of U student Haoyu Wang, 27, was charged with first-degree felony murder for allegedly injecting Dong with a fatal dose of heroin as part of a suicide pact. Both were international students from China who enrolled in fall 2021 and lived in on-campus housing, university officials said.
Wang remains incarcerated while awaiting trial.
A lawyer for Dong’s parents say they are “grateful to close this chapter of their journey for justice for their daughter.”
“They sincerely hope that Zhifan’s memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities,” said Brian C. Stewart of Parker and McConkie.
In July, the university shared results from its internal investigation into the handling of Dong’s murder that “revealed shortcomings” in efforts to ensure her safety.
“Her murder is a reminder that intimate partner violence is a societal problem that transcends borders and cultures, and manifests in many ways,” Randall said. “No one should have to endure the loss of a child to violence, and our university will remain diligent, continue to improve, and advance the health and well-being of our students.”
The agreement has been approved by Gov. Spencer Cox, university officials said. The Utah Legislature is expected to vote on a joint resolution about the settlement before the 2023 session ends March 3.
While staying with Wang at a downtown motel Jan. 12, 2022, Dong reported “an act of intimate partner violence” to employees at the front desk, according to a timeline of the first-year student’s interactions with law enforcement, housing officials and other university offices in the weeks leading up to her death.
Wang was later arrested by Salt Lake City police and booked into jail, court documents state. He was released a few hours later, however, and while Dong was issued a temporary protective order, no notice was provided to university officials, according to the U of U investigation.
Dong called police again on Jan. 13, 2022, “due to Wang’s behavior,” court documents state.
On Jan. 14, 2022, Dong informed university housing officials that Wang may be suicidal and asked them to conduct a wellness check, according to the university. U of U officials say it was the first notice they received about the Jan. 12, 2022, incident.
The university’s timeline indicates on-campus housing officials tried unsuccessfully to check on Wang three times between Jan. 14, 2022, and Jan. 19, 2022.
On Jan. 24, 2022, housing officials located Wang in his room and offered assistance. University officials say Wang told them he had a counseling appointment later and did not need further assistance.
Housing officials also conducted several welfare checks on Dong between Jan. 14, 2022, and Feb. 6, 2022, after her roommate reported she hadn’t seen Dong in awhile and was concerned about her, according to the university.
On Feb. 11, 2022, Wang sent an email to a housing administrator at 3:51 a.m. “saying he and Dong are still in love and have decided to die by suicide together,” university officials said. The housing administrator read the email at 4:55 a.m. and immediately called University of Utah police, university officials said.
Police pinged both students’ phones between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. and eventually located them at Quality Inn, 616 S. 200 West, where Wang had been staying since Feb. 3, 2022, university officials said.
University of Utah and Salt Lake City police officers responded and entered the motel room. After administering first aid to Dong, officers determined she was deceased, court documents state. Wang was taken into custody and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
Charging documents say Wang told police that he and his girlfriend “decided to use opioids to have a painless death,” so he purchased “heroin and fentanyl on the dark net.”
Wang said he “didn’t want to see (Dong) suffer so he injected her with a high dose of heroin,” court documents state.
Samples of “unknown white powders found in the motel room” later tested positive for fentanyl and ketamine, according to charging documents.
