At the start of her trial in 2022, Dorothy Hirsch was accused of receiving a text from her estranged husband Glenn Hirsch that said “bring your 9mm” before he killed himself. This came after Glenn Hirsch was accused of murdering Chinese food delivery man Zhiwen Yan because his order was short on duck sauce. Dorothy Hirsch faces weapons possession charges after police found eight guns in her apartment following her husband’s suicide. Her lawyer argued that the text was meant for her brother, and that Glenn Hirsch, not his wife, should be on trial.
Glenn Hirsch shot himself in 2022 while facing murder charges in the death of Zhiwen Yan. After his suicide, police discovered eight illegal guns in Dorothy Hirsch’s apartment, leading to her weapons possession charges. The prosecution claimed that Dorothy Hirsch was the one with control over the guns found in her home, despite her fingerprints and DNA not being on the weapons. The gun used to kill Zhiwen Yan was not part of the cache of weapons found in her apartment.
The feud between Glenn Hirsch and the Great Wall restaurant where Zhiwen Yan worked started over a dispute about duck sauce with his order. Surveillance footage showed Hirsch threatening the staff at the restaurant before the shooting occurred. Zhiwen Yan, a father of three who had migrated from China 20 years earlier, was shot in the chest while making deliveries. The prosecution argued that Dorothy Hirsch had sole control over the guns found in her home, even though her husband was the one accused of murdering Yan.
Dorothy Hirsch’s defense attorney claimed that she was being punished for the actions of her husband, who was the one responsible for the murder of Zhiwen Yan. The defense argued that if she had not been married to Glenn Hirsch and subject to his abuse, she would not be facing prosecution. Glenn Hirsch left a suicide note claiming that his wife had no knowledge of the guns in her apartment. The prosecution argued that Dorothy Hirsch knowingly had illegal guns in her possession and should be held accountable for them.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Dorothy Hirsch had texted “OK” in response to her brother who was the recipient of the “bring your 9mm” text from Glenn Hirsch. The DA’s office maintained that she had sole control over the illegal guns found in her apartment, despite her actual involvement in the crimes. The defense continued to argue that Dorothy Hirsch was being unfairly targeted for the actions of her deceased husband and the ongoing feud with the restaurant.
As the trial continued, both sides presented their arguments regarding Dorothy Hirsch’s involvement in the illegal guns in her possession and the murder of Zhiwen Yan by her estranged husband Glenn Hirsch. Ultimately, the verdict would depend on whether the prosecution could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dorothy Hirsch was complicit in the crimes committed by her husband, or if the defense could show that she was unfairly targeted and should not be held responsible for his actions.
