Wild backstory behind kidnapping-execution that rocked California — as family and friends speak out

The accused killer and victim in a kidnapping and execution that rocked California were once close friends and had known each other for decades, friends and family have revealed.

Shukur Aikebaer, 60, and Zhengfeng Bo, 67, had known each other for about 20 years after meeting in China, friends told the LA Times.

Their relationship eventually brought them to Southern California, where both built quiet lives — until authorities say Bo kidnapped Aikebaer from his Chino Hills home on July 29 and fatally shot him.

The men’s families had once been close, Tony Lu, a neighbor and friend of Bo, said. “There were no controversies,” Lu said. “No disputes.”

Bo met Aikebaer while overseeing a public works project in China’s Xinjiang region, Lu said. Aikebaer was then a local bureaucrat. Bo eventually hired him as an assistant, and Aikebaer helped identify investment opportunities.

Bo’s nephew, who was not identified by his name, told the outlet his uncle had known Aikebaer for 20 years and called him his “brother.”

The pair’s friendship survived their move to America. Bo came to the US in 2019 so his children could attend American schools, according to Lu.

He had made a fortune through construction and investments and once told Lu his assets were worth about $20 million.

Yet he lived relatively simply, spending much of his time gardening and searching for real estate deals. “He built that project from dirt,” Lu said, describing Bo’s business career.

Lu said he once urged Bo to stop working. “I told him, ‘You’ve gained enough wealth. You have a good family, a good house. Why don’t you retire?’” Lu recalled.

But Bo remained focused on business.

That became a problem with a Pasadena apartment development that Aikebaer had helped bring to his attention, according to Lu.

The project eventually became a financial disappointment, with delays, cost overruns and mounting debt.

Bo grew suspicious that project manager Jason Chiyuan Wang had cheated him by inflating construction costs, Lu claimed. Bo sought an accountant to audit the project and later said Wang had refused to provide records.

Bo told Lu that if the audit proved he had been defrauded, Wang should go to prison. But Lu said Bo never threatened Wang or indicated he planned to hurt anyone.

The financial dispute also did not appear to involve Aikebaer directly. Lu said Bo had not blamed his longtime friend for the Pasadena problems.

That makes the violence that followed even harder for those who knew Bo to understand. In 2022, Bo hosted a gathering at his ranch in northern San Diego County where Aikebaer grilled lamb. Lu remembered the occasion as happy.

“Whatever you can imagine,” Lu said of the fruits, vegetables, grapevines and other plants filling the property.

Bo had told Lu he bought a handgun and shotgun to deal with coyotes. The last time Lu saw Bo, the two brothers were working in their Irvine yard.

Authorities allege on July 29 Bo and his brother, Jianquan Bo, 66, went to Aikebaer’s home, shot him and forced him into a car trunk.

During a subsequent traffic stop, Zhengfeng allegedly opened the trunk and shot Aikebaer again before deputies killed the gunman.

Jianquan, who was a passenger in the car, has been charged with murder and kidnapping and has pleaded not guilty.

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