Cancer diagnosis delays murder trial for wealthy Peninsula heiress

HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. (KGO) -- The trial for a wealthy Bay Area woman accused of killing the father of her children is being delayed by nearly a year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

This new development about Tiffany Li was revealed at a court hearing Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Li, a Chinese-born heiress, and her boyfriend, Kaveh Bayat, killed Keith Green back in April 2016.

Green vanished after meeting with Li about a child custody issue.

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His body was later found in a Sonoma County field, with a bullet wound through his neck.

Shortly after Green's body was found SWAT teams raided Li's Hillsborough mansion finding enough evidence to arrest Li and Bayat.

The trial delay was announced back in August, but the reason why was not known at the time.

Li's attorney, Geoff Carr, told ABC7 news that Li was diagnosed 6-8 weeks ago.

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Carr said that Li has to undergo surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Her treatment is expected to be over by March and Carr said that if she survives the trial could have started in April.

But Wednesday the presiding judge elected to delay the trial until August 2019.

As a result of that delay, a witness in the case -- Oliver Adella- could be released from jail.

Adella was Li's former bodyguard and associate of her boyfriend Kaveh bayat.

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Adella was also arrested after the crime but cut a deal with the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office in February.

The deal could lead to prosecutors potentially dropping the murder charge against him in exchange for his truthful testimony against Li and Bayat.

Adella was supposed to remain in custody until testifying, but his attorneys are now working to get him released at a Thursday court hearing.

The case made national headlines after Li posted a record bail of nearly $70 million worth of property and cash.

Legal experts say it was one of the largest bails posted in California's history.