Father Pleads No Contest in Strangling of Infant
A Rowland Heights theology student accused of strangling his 4-month-old son has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for an 11-year prison sentence.
Chong Kuk Park, 30, who has been in custody since his arrest last September, had been charged with murder and could have faced a sentence of at least 15 years to life in prison for the death of Paul Sungjik Park.
Prosecutors said the autopsy report for the 8-pound infant was inconclusive. Although the child’s body had been battered, with compression marks ringing his neck, it would have been difficult to prove that the injuries were intentional, rather than the result of negligent grabbing, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard D. Burns.
Park pleaded no contest during a preliminary hearing last week in Citrus Municipal Court. He will be sentenced Jan. 17 in Pomona Superior Court.
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