A Fountain Valley woman was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing her son and being physically abusive towards her daughter.
As reported by Patch.com, Yan Zhang, 45, was convicted July 22 of felony continuous sexual abuse of a child and misdemeanor child abuse. Jurors acquitted her of attempted murder.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue dismissed a sentencing enhancement for attempted premeditated murder after closing arguments, which could have opened her to a life prison sentence.
Zhang faced six, 12 or 16 years in prison. The defendant had 752 days credit behind bars toward the sexual abuse conviction and 180 days credit to satisfy the punishment for misdemeanor child abuse of the daughter, according to court records.
Donahue also ordered Zhang to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life, in addition to her prison sentence. Zhang’s attorney, Roger Chien, continued to maintain her client was innocent and said they intent to appeal the verdict.
Zhang Accused of Molesting the Son for Years, Tried to Kill Daughter by Placing a Plastic Bag Over Her Head
The defendant was accused of pulling a plastic bag over the head of her daughter in an attempt to kill her and attacking her with a jump rope, cleats and a roller beginning when she was 10 to 15 years old, according to Deputy District Attorney Alyssa Marie Staudinger. She was convicted of molesting her son for years, the prosecutor added.
The daughter was a reluctant witness, Staudinger acknowledged in closing arguments of Zhang’s trial. “She didn’t want to be here,” Staudinger said. “She didn’t want her mom punished. … She just wanted a mom.”
And yet the daughter testified about seeing “evil” in her mother’s eyes when she was enraged, Staudinger said. Part of the evidence shown the trial was video footage taken by the father.
“You can see the rage in her eyes,” Staudinger said. “The complete detachment.” Zhang would at times withhold food from her daughter, the prosecutor said. If the family ate at 6 p.m., her daughter might not get fed until 9 p.m., she said.
Zhang’s Former Husband and Father Learned About the Sexual and Physical Abuse After Divorce When He Got Custody of the Children
The defendant’s ex-husband wanted to keep the family together and “lived in fear” of Zhang, Staudinger said. Zhang threatened to “pin everything on him if he called police,” according to the prosecutor.
The couple managed to negotiate a divorce with little acrimony initially. She was paid $100,000 and he got custody of the children with Zhang allowed visitation, Staudinger said. “All she wants is money,” Staudinger said. “She gets 100 grand and she walks away.”
The kids could see their mother whenever they wanted, but their father noticed they did not want to visit with her or sleep over, Staudinger said. When the father enquired why, his son told him in September of 2023 that it was because of sexual abuse, Staudinger said. The father then reported the abuse to law enforcement on Oct 2, 2023.
In November of that year, at the recommendation of police, their father sought a temporary restraining order against Zhang, Staudinger said.
