Hillsborough heiress murder case: Murder charges dropped against star witness Olivier Adella

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- The man who was supposed to be the star witness in the murder case against Hillsborough heiress Tiffany Li and her boyfriend, Kaveh Bayat, is expected to be freed from jail next month after murder charges against him were dropped on Thursday.

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Last month, a jury found Li not guilty of all charges but deadlocked on Bayat. Prosecutors say Li lured Keith Green, the father of her two children, to her Hillsborough mansion in 2016, where he was shot by Bayat.

Olivier Adella, 44, was sent to jail and removed as a prosecution witness in September after he contacted a defense witness, his former girlfriend, on Instagram. At a hearing on Thursday, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Robert Foiles ordered Adella to stay in jail until Jan. 10, when he will be formally sentenced for being an accessory after the fact.



The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office announced at the hearing Thursday that it would not seek to invalidate Adella's original plea agreement. Adella had pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact in exchange for his testimony against Li and Bayat.

In an exclusive interview with ABC 7 I-Team reporter Dan Noyes in 2017, Adella said he reluctantly agreed to dispose of Green's body in Sonoma County after fearing for his life and his family's safety. He said he also was concerned that if he didn't go along, the couple may try to pin the murder on him. He said he had refused a $50,000 offer from Li and Bayat to kill Green.

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With credit for time served, Adella is expected to be released after his sentencing hearing next month. Prosecutors will announce on Dec.19 whether they will retry Bayat.

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