An 8-year-old manhunt for a suspect in two California killings came to an end this week after a South Korean national was detained abroad and returned to the United States to face murder charges.
Myung Jin Kim, 31, was wanted in connection with two killings, including a botched murder-for-hire plot in San Jose in 2016 and the killing of Kim’s friend in the parking lot of a CVS in Westminster two years later.
Prosecutors filed an arrest warrant for Kim in November 2018, but he is believed to have fled and eluded authorities for eight years.
Myung Jin Kim, 31, was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May for immigration violations and flown back to Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday.
(Orange County District Attorney)
“Mr. Kim’s cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe,” said Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, in a statement.
Kim is believed to have hired a hitman for the ambush and killing of a man in San Jose on June 27, 2016.
Police say the victim was shot in his car after stopping by a residential neighborhood. But the investigation by San Jose police determined the hitman had killed the wrong person.
For years, however, no arrest warrant was issued for Kim.
Then on Sept. 5, 2018, Kim was suspected of shooting and killing his friend, 26-year-old Christopher Kim, in the parking lot of a CVS in Westminster after the two argued over money.
Authorities say Kim allegedly shot his friend six times in front of his girlfriend and then fled on foot.
On Nov. 20, 2018, police in Orange County issued an arrest warrant for Kim.
San Jose police continued their investigation into the 2016 killing as well and, on Feb. 3, 2020, an arrest warrant was issued for Kim for allegations of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the botched murder-for-hire plot.
Kim eluded law enforcement for years until December 2025 when, according to a statement by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Westminster Police Department, FBI, San Jose Police and Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office, he was found living in Laos. Kim was taken into custody for alleged immigration violations, including using fraudulent travel documents.
Orange and Santa Clara county officials worked with the FBI and U.S. marshals to locate and bring Kim back to the states to face felony charges.
Kim was booked into Anaheim Police Department jail Tuesday, and he was transported to Santa Clara County on Wednesday.
Federal officials noted Kim was the first person detained and returned to the United States from Laos.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
