Twin Now Faces Conspiracy to Murder Charge

A twin accused of trying to kill her sister and assume her identity was ordered held without bail Friday as prosecutors charged her with conspiracy to commit murder, in a bizarre case that has drawn international attention.

Jeen Young Han, appearing nervous as she faced the judge and a long gantlet of television crews and photographers, did not enter a plea to increased felony charges. The arraignment was continued to Dec. 13.

Outside the courtroom, her lawyer said he believed the case has been “blown totally out of proportion” and blasted what he described as sensationalistic police and media portrayals of a so-called “evil” twin.

“She’s not an evil person,” Deputy Public Defender Roger Alexander said. “The case is a lot more complex than that. I think we’re all going to find out about that as we proceed.”

Alexander said the 22-year-old El Cajon woman is “distraught” over the allegations and sick with the flu. He did not know if she had had any recent contact with her twin, Sunny, and he suggested two teenagers also facing charges in the alleged murder-for-hire plot may be trying to blame his client.

If convicted as charged, Han would face a minimum of 26 years to life in prison.

The new conspiracy charge comes in the wake of a continuing investigation and the additional interviews of witnesses, Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce Moore said.

The prosecutor said he sought no bail for Han in large part because of the gravity of the charges. “When you’re facing such serious charges there’s a big incentive to leave,” he said.

Han, who commonly uses the name Gina, was initially held on $250,000 bail and charged Nov. 8 with an array of felonies, including criminal conspiracy, burglary and false imprisonment.

Judge Christopher W. Strople of the Municipal Court in Newport Beach agreed Friday to hold Han without bail, but said the issue could be reviewed at a later date.

Police say the sisters, who were co-valedictorians at their rural high school in San Diego County, hadn’t been getting along in recent years.

On Nov. 6, Gina Han allegedly rounded up two teen-aged boys and told them she wanted her sister dead, according to court documents.

The three, armed with a gun, bought twine and duct tape before heading to Sunny’s Irvine condominium, police said.

Authorities allege Gina Han sat in the car while the two teenagers, one posing as a magazine salesman, forced their way inside the home. Hearing the initial commotion, Sunny Han was able to call police from her cellular phone. The intruders bound and gagged Sunny Han and her roommate, putting the women in a bathtub, police said.

Gina Han and one of the teenagers fled when officers arrived, but were later arrested in the San Diego area after they allegedly tried to buy a new Nissan using Sunny’s identification and credit card, police said.

Police have said Gina Han was angry at her sister for helping authorities in a recent theft prosecution against her involving the use of money and stolen credit cards. Gina Han allegedly wanted to assume her sister’s identity so she could escape her checkered past.

At the time of her arrest, Gina Han was wanted by San Diego authorities for failing to complete a work furlough sentence. Her alleged accomplices, 15- and 16-year-old El Cajon residents, were booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall and face similar conspiracy charges.

Sunny Han has since moved from her home and has remained in seclusion.

The media have found allegations of sibling rivalry, especially of twin against twin, irresistible, and the hearing drew a crowd of reporters to the Newport Beach courthouse, including the Korean press, which is following the case of the Korean-American twins closely.

“We’re all wondering, what’s the motive? What really triggered her?” said Justin Hahn, a cameraman for Seoul-based Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.

“This is a very unique story for us,” he said. “There is sibling rivalry between siblings wherever you go. But between twins?”