Three Ordered to Trial in Twin-vs.-Twin Case

One twin appeared in court Tuesday, wearing shackles and a blue jail jumpsuit, appearing downcast and avoiding eye contact. Then the other twin arrived, wearing a fashionable dress suit and accompanied by her “media spokeswoman” as cameras flashed and television news crews jockeyed for position.

The 22-year-old sisters have been labeled by police as “the evil twin and the good twin” in a bizarre case where one sister, Jeen Han of El Cajon, is accused of hiring two teenage henchmen to kill her sibling, Sunny Han.

After a daylong hearing, Municipal Judge Christopher W. Strople ordered Jeen Han and two 17-year-olds, John Sayarth and Archie Bryant, to stand trial on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other allegations.

The trio have pleaded not guilty and face up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Irvine police initially said that Jeen Han had wanted her sister dead so she could assume her identity and escape a checkered past which included credit card fraud. But that motive was not mentioned during the hearing as prosecutor Bruce Moore portrayed a murder-for-hire plot involving the twins, who were co-valedictorians of their high school graduating class.

Sunny Han testified Tuesday she was in her bedroom on Nov. 6 when two men forced their way into her Irvine apartment and held her and her roommate at gunpoint.

“I heard my roommate shrieking out loud saying, ‘Please don’t hurt me! Take anything you want!’ ” she said. “I was about to open my door but then I heard a male’s voice. . . . I turned around and grabbed my cell phone and went into my bathroom and dialed 911.”

Sunny Han said Bryant then burst into her room and pointed a gun at her face. Sunny Han and her roommate, Helen Kim, were bound and gagged and placed in a bathtub shortly before police arrived in response to the call, she said.

Jeen Han’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Roger Alexander, told a different story. He said the three defendants had driven from San Diego merely to retrieve some of Jeen Han’s possessions, which her sister had refused to return. He said Jeen Han was afraid of being alone when she faced Sunny, who had punched her in the face during an earlier fight.

“This totally got out of hand,” Alexander said outside of court. “None of this was supposed to happen. Violence was not planned. She didn’t even want her sister roughed up. I believe the plan was just to get some possessions from her sister.”

Sunny Han admitted during her testimony Tuesday that she did possess several of her sister’s belongings, including her driver’s license, some of her clothing, income tax return checks and court documents.

Neither victim was able to identify Sayarth as being inside the apartment that day since both were blindfolded with duct tape. But Sunny Han identified Bryant as the man who held her at gunpoint and then panicked when police arrived, begging her to tell police it was all a part of a joke.

Bryant was arrested at the scene. Police said Jeen Han waited outside during the attack and then fled with Sayarth when officers arrived. The pair were later arrested when they tried to buy a new car using Sunny Han’s credit card, officials said.

Irvine Police Det. Victor Ray, one of three witnesses called to testify, said Jeen Han had asked many people to kill Sunny Han and on several occasions asked people if they knew where she could get a gun.

Jeen Han “would ask anyone who would listen if they would kill her sister,” Ray testified.

The detective’s testimony suggested possible motives for the attack. Sunny Han once had her sister arrested and put in jail for taking her car. And Jeen Han told friends she believed Sunny Han was involved in Asian gangs, and might hurt or kill her.

She was quoted as saying she wanted her sister dead “because if I don’t kill her, she’s going to kill me,” Ray testified.

In an unusual twist in the already unusual case, Sunny Han has come to her sister’s defense and dismissed the notion her sister was jealous of her. Sunny Han conceded the pair have had their share of problems, but insisted she and her sister are “best friends” who “tell each other everything.”

“My sister isn’t guilty,” she said outside of court. “If anyone was jealous, it would be me of her. She’s smarter and more artistic. Somehow, she got scammed by those two guys.”

“It’s common sense that sisters fight,” she added.

Sunny Han has appeared on several television talks shows since the arrest to defend her sister, including “Hard Copy.” The case has also received widespread attention in the Korean media.

Alexander said outside of court that Sunny Han’s loyalty to Jeen Han should not be a surprise.

“Let’s face it, they want to love each other,” Alexander said. “They are sisters.”

The defendants will be arraigned March 25 in Orange County Superior Court.