@katchup_news American elderly women were murdered at a Korean-run nursing home. The murder suspect has been identified as a 40-year-old male caregiver who had been providing care for the seniors at this assisted living facility. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) received a report of a homicide at the Happy Home Care for Elderly near Sapphire Canyon Road in Diamond Bar around 8:05 a.m. on June 24. The victims were live-in patients at the facility and pronounced dead at the scene. Korean senior victims were identified as Monica Lee, 75, and Hee Sook Park, 83, according to L.A. County Department of Coroner. The coroner’s office is currently investigating the exact cause of death. Unlike the initial reports from various news media which it was a shooting incident, Sheriff’s Department confirmed that it was not a shooting case. L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jianchun Li, a 40-year-old live-in caretaker as the murder suspect. Detectives are saying the foul play is suspected in the death of two Korean elderly women. This is a developing story, so please check back for more details later. #fyp #news #exclusive #breakingnews #nursinghome #senior #korean #elderly #crimenews #suspect #diamondbar #losangeles #caregiver #murder #crimetok #koreanamerican #katchupnews
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Two Korean American elderly women were murdered at a Korean-run assisted living facility for elderly. The murder suspect has been identified as a 40-year-old male caregiver who had been providing care for the seniors at the facility.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) received a report of a homicide at the Happy Home Care for Elderly near Sapphire Canyon Road in Diamond Bar around 8:05 a.m. on June 24. The LASD stated that two women were found dead at the scene.
“The deceased women were identified as Monica Lee, 75, and Hee Sook Park, 83,” stated the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. The bodies of Lee and Park were transported to the coroner’s office from the house shortly after the incident. The coroner’s office is currently investigating the exact cause of death.
On the day of the incident, some media outlets, including NBC4 News, initially reported the incident as a shooting. However, the LA Times, on June 25, quoted Sheriff’s Department Chief Lieutenant Daniel Vizcarra as saying, “It was not a shooting.”
Lieutenant Vizcarra clarified, “The victims were not shot.” He explained that two “extremely elderly women were found in a room within the house.” Paramedics arrived and attempted to provide aid, but unfortunately, both women died at the scene.
Later that day, the LASD announced the arrest of Jianchun Li, a 40-year-old worker at the assisted living facility, as the murder suspect. Li, a Chinese descent, is an employee of the Happy Home Care who was reportedly assigned to care for the seniors. He was booked into the county jail with bail set at $4 million. An arraignment is scheduled for June 27 in a Pomona courtroom.
The Happy Home Care for Elderly is operated by Eunice Kim, a Korean American former social worker, according to its website. The website states that Kim oversees both the Happy Home Care for Elderly and the Hope Home Care for Elderly, which were converted from ordinary houses into assisted living facilities.
On June 25, the day after the incident, when I visited the Happy Home Care, two women believed to be nurses were observed coming and going. Despite attempts to interview Korean Americans residing in the assisted living facility, they refused. Multiple phone calls were made to reach the facility’s director and other officials, but they were unsuccessful.
Located on the corner of a large housing complex, Happy Home Care is a single-story house with no visible signage. Neighbors were shocked to learn about the murder.
A resident living across the street from the house expressed surprise, saying, “I didn’t know that the house was an assisted living facility for the elderly until the police arrived after the incident yesterday. I was shocked to hear that the murder took place in that house. Many Koreans live there, and sometimes nurses come to the house.”
“The facility is a four-plus bedroom home that housed about six people, including a senior, at the time of the murder,” reported the LA Times.
On the day of the incident, the LASD established a cordon around the house and conducted hours of investigation. Television footage showing the coroner’s office staff moving the bodies of the two victims was also broadcasted.
LASD’s Homicide Bureau, which is still investigating the exact circumstances of the incident, is seeking additional information or reports at 323-890-5500.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [support@koreadaily.com]
