See No Evil: Why did Chong Lee try to get his conviction overturned?

Chong Lee was accused of Joshua Richards' 2013 murder and in a 2016 trial, a jury sentenced him to life in prison with parole after 34 years. He was found guilty on one count of first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon and three other charges. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Lee was a dangerous man who tried to intimidate witnesses while he was in prison.

However, the defense argued that he was being wrongfully convicted. Chong Lee also tried to get his conviction overturned in 2018. This was based on the fact that interviews with three other suspects - Joe Thor, Paul Lee, and Phong Lee were never disclosed and reportedly destroyed.

Although Lee challenged the sentence, the court upheld its former ruling and he was to continue his life in prison sentence.

Investigation Discovery's See No Evil re-aired its episode on Joshua Richards' death titled Run for the Door on January 17, 2024, at 6 pm EST. It was the third episode of See No Evil season six and followed Richards' shooting death in 2013.

The synopsis for the episode read:

"Josh Richards is shot execution style in the middle of a nightclub in Appleton, Wisconsin. When detectives delve deeper into the investigation, they discover a camera has the potential to reveal the identity of a killer."

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"Chong Lee is an innocent man" - Defense attorney Evan Weitz at Lee's 2016 hearing

Joshua Richards was killed in December 2013 after being shot in the head at a nightclub. Three years later, on March 9, 2016, 30-year-old Chong Lee was convicted of Joshua's murder.

Joshua, who was 25 at the time of his death, was a resident of Green Bay. He was partying at the now-closed Luna Lounge in downtown Appleton on December 7, 2013, with his girlfriend Brittany Olson.

During the 2016 trial hearing of Chong Lee, the prosecution argued that he had pulled the trigger at the Luna Lounge club.

Lee didn't plead guilty to his charges of first-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon, soliciting perjury, and four counts of being party to the crime of witness intimidation which led to a trial by jury. However, the defense stated that the wrong man was on trial with defense attorney Evan Weitz telling the Outagamie County jury:

"Chong Lee is an innocent man."

The night of Joshua's death, December 7, 2013, was reportedly uneventful until people in the club heard the shot and saw Joshua slumping to the ground. Others pointed out that there was an altercation between the men leading to the gunshot.

As people fled the club, the Appleton Police Department investigators noticed the three other suspects Paul Lee, Phong Lee, and Joe Thor running out of the club. They were running towards the west and were followed by Chong Lee walking in the other direction moments later wearing a black jacket.

Officials received information about Chong's involvement in the shooting from informants and Paul Lee over time. This made them shift their suspicion from Paul Lee to his brother, Chong Lee. Additionally, while Paul Lee had initially protected Chong from suspicion, he gave in when he was asked about the latter's involvement.

"My brother is going to hate me for this." Paul said at the time.

However, the defense attorney Evan Weitz brought up points of contention about the clothing that didn't match along with Chong's direction of travel. He compared it to the information and descriptions that the police had received.

A bouncer at Luna Lounge and Richards' friends had described the suspect to be wearing a white beanie and white top walking towards College Avenue with his hands in his pocket.

According to reports by Post Crescent, Paul Lee had been wearing a white jacket with his hands stuck in his pocket per surveillance footage from traffic cameras. The police had never found the murder weapon and neither did Paul Lee mention seeing his brother, Chong Lee, shoot Richards. Chong Lee was sentenced to life in prison and eligibility for parole after 34 years in June 2016.