Man Sentenced To 20 Years For Killing Sex Worker In Eagan Hotel Room

EAGAN, MN — A man who killed a sex worker in an Eagan hotel room was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison.

Philip Jedidiah Wong, 27, pleaded guilty in March to murdering 53-year-old Jianqin Zhang of China in October 2023.

According to the criminal complaint, Eagan police officers were called to a hotel at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2023, on the report of an unconscious female found by a hotel employee. When they arrived, they found Zhang face down on the bed and cold to the touch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier that day, Wong went to the hotel as he responded to an online ad for a massage. After the massage, Wong paid the victim for sex.

Police learned during the investigation that Wong was told by Zhang that there were hidden cameras in the room, and she requested more money.

In response, Wong "choked her out" but believed she was still breathing, authorities said.

An autopsy completed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be strangulation and the manner of death a homicide.

Wong remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail awaiting transfer to the Department of Corrections.