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article <\/p>\n article <\/p>\n
Myung Jin Kim \/ Orange County District Attorney’s Office <\/p>\n
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – A multi-agency international operation has successfully captured and returned a South Korean national to the United States <\/a>to face trial for two separate California <\/a>killings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Myung Jin Kim, 31, was brought back to Southern California this week after a global manhunt tracked him to Southeast Asia, making history as the first wanted fugitive ever returned to the U.S. from Laos.<\/p>\n What we know:<\/p>\n Kim was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May 2026 for immigration<\/a> violations after investigators discovered he was using fraudulent travel documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n He was flown back to Los Angeles International Airport<\/a> on June 9. After being booked into the Anaheim <\/a>Police Department jail, custody was transferred to the San Jose Police Department, and he was transported to Santa Clara County the following day.<\/p>\n Kim is facing charges in two separate jurisdictions:<\/p>\n The 2016 San Jose Homicide: Prosecutors accuse Kim of orchestrating a targeted, ambush-style murder-for-hire plot. The hired hitmen lay in wait and opened fire on a vehicle, but ultimately shot and killed the wrong person. Kim was later charged with murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.<\/p>\n The 2018 Westminster<\/a> Homicide: While out on bail for separate Orange County charges\u2014including drug dealing and being a felon in possession of a firearm and metal-piercing ammunition\u2014Kim allegedly shot his friend, 26-year-old Christopher Kim, six times in a CVS parking lot following an argument over money. The execution was witnessed by the victim’s girlfriend.<\/p>\n Local perspective:<\/p>\n Kim’s apprehension marks a massive surge in international captures for Southern California law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n He is the seventh international fugitive located abroad and returned by the FBI and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to face trial in just the last six months.<\/p>\n Timeline:<\/p>\n June 27, 2016: A targeted ambush killing takes place in a residential San Jose neighborhood. The victim is shot at least once in his vehicle by suspects lying in wait. Investigators later identify Myung Jin Kim as the orchestrator of a botched hit that killed the wrong person.September 5, 2018: While out on bail for weapon and drug charges, Kim allegedly shoots and kills Christopher Kim in a Westminster CVS parking lot before fleeing.November 20, 2018: An arrest warrant is officially issued for Kim for the murder of Christopher Kim in Orange County.February 3, 2020: Following further investigation into the San Jos\u00e9 case revealing Kim paid a hitman to kill the original target, a warrant is issued for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.December 2025: U.S. investigators learn that Kim is hiding out in Laos and begin collaborating with local district attorney’s offices to secure his return.Late May 2026: Laotian authorities detain Kim for immigration violations involving fraudulent travel documents.June 9, 2026: Kim is flown back to Los Angeles International Airport and booked into the Anaheim jail.June 10, 2026: Kim is transferred to Santa Clara County custody. <\/p>\n What they’re saying:<\/p>\n Law enforcement leaders emphasized that national borders will not shield individuals from violent crimes committed on American soil.<\/p>\n “Mr. Kim\u2019s cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe,” said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI\u2019s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI\u2019s Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is proud to assist police departments seeking violent subjects who\u2019ve fled the jurisdiction, and we will continue these partnerships and those we\u2019ve developed with countries all over the world to seek justice for victims of violent crime.”<\/p>\n Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a stern warning to other fugitives: “Justice knows no borders and we will go to the literal ends of the earth in the pursuit of justice. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But the long arm of the law of Orange County is coming for you and there is not a country on earth that is capable of shielding you from our unwavering pursuit of justice. We believe in consequences for your actions, and you will be held accountable for every crime you commit and for every victim you harm.”<\/p>\n “Once again, an all-star team of agencies worked closely together to make sure a multiple murder suspect faces justice,” stated Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. “Cooperation closes cases.”<\/p>\n San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph praised the persistence of his department: “No matter how much time passes or how far someone runs, accountability can still find them. Our homicide detectives never gave up on this case, and their persistence, combined with extraordinary support from our law enforcement partners, brought this suspect back to San Jos\u00e9 to face justice.”<\/p>\n “If you come to our city and commit murder or any other serious crime, we will track you down and arrest you. No matter how long it takes us or where you flee to, we are coming for you,” said Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to our federal partners and OCDA\u2019s office for their efforts in bringing a violent fugitive to justice.”<\/p>\n What’s next:<\/p>\n Kim will be prosecuted for his crimes in Santa Clara County first regarding the 2016 botched murder-for-hire plot.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the end of those proceedings, he will be transferred back to Orange County to stand trial for the 2018 murder of Christopher Kim.<\/p>\n The Source: This report is based on information provided by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n Crime and Public Safety<\/a>California<\/a>Orange County<\/a>Instastories<\/a>Westminster<\/a>Anaheim<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"article Myung Jin Kim \/ Orange County District Attorney’s Office ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – A multi-agency international operation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[163,1184,7,9,8,2042,2444,100,611,425,1181,6737],"class_list":["post-359600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-anaheim","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-crime-publicsafety","tag-instastories","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-series","tag-us","tag-westminster"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}