Antony Abreu Convicted of Murder for Hire in Deadly Karaoke Bar Shooting

A federal jury in Brooklyn has delivered a guilty verdict against Antony Abreu, 31, of New York, on both counts of an indictment charging him with murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy in connection with the February 12, 2019 killing of 31-year-old Xin “Chris” Gu outside of a karaoke bar in Queens.

The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon. When sentenced, the defendant faces a mandatory term of life in prison.

“With today’s conviction of Abreu, a cold-blooded triggerman who executed a young man in exchange for an expensive wristwatch, this Office has held all the conspirators responsible for this murder plot driven by greed and revenge,” stated Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “The victim was marked for death simply because he was pursuing the American dream by starting his own company. Chris Gu was celebrating his promising future and the Chinese New Year when his life was violently ended in the street without warning. His killers will spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

Abreu was hired to murder Gu as part of a revenge scheme orchestrated by Gu’s former boss, Allen Yu. Yu’s business, Amaco, lost substantial business when Gu left to start his own property development company. Enraged at Gu’s perceived disloyalty, Yu hired co-conspirators You You and Zhe Zhang to kill Gu in exchange for payment. Zhang in turn hired Abreu to carry out the murder.

On the evening of February 11, 2019, and into the following pre-dawn hours, Gu’s new company hosted a celebration of the Lunar New Year at Lake Pavilion restaurant in Flushing. After dinner, Gu and a smaller group went to a karaoke bar, Grand Slam KTV in Flushing. When Gu left the bar and was getting into a cab, Abreu approached and shot Gu multiple times at close range, killing him. In exchange for committing the murder, Zhang gave Abreu a luxury Richard Mille wristwatch valued at over $100,000.

In the days after the murder, in an effort to avoid detection, Abreu sold the car he used in the murder to a relative and sold a burner phone used to facilitate the murder. In the following months, Abreu repeatedly bragged about committing the murder to various associates and posted on social media about the wristwatch Zhang had given him. After his arrest, Abreu obtained a contraband phone in jail, which he used to attempt to intimidate and retaliate against government witnesses in the case and to make payments to potential defense witnesses.

“The tireless work of the detectives, agents, and prosecutors in this case helped hold to full account the men responsible for this murder,” stated Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department. “This is another example of our agencies’ collaborative commitment to public safety, and further proof that no one is beyond the reach of the law.”

You You pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire conspiracy in June 2023 and is awaiting sentencing. Allen Yu and Zhang were convicted at trial in October 2023 and face mandatory life sentences when they are sentenced.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Violent Crime

Rubio-Guido, Large-Scale Fraud and Racketeering, New York 2024

Jul 1, 2000

Violent Crime

Ramirez-de Medina, Federal Criminal Case, California, 1994

Jan 15, 1994

Violent Crime

Bahena's Dark Web of Deceit Exposed

Jul 1, 2009

Violent Crime

Haldorson's Heavy Hand: Feds Say He's a Mastermind of Larceny

Jul 1, 2015