Twin Is Hospitalized After Overdose

The moment Sunny Han walked into the courtroom Tuesday to testify against the identical twin sister accused of conspiring to have her murdered, it was clear that something was wrong.

Walking unsteadily and with a dazed look on her face, the 23-year-old nearly collapsed three times on her way to the witness stand. Several minutes later, she was rushed to the hospital after telling the judge she had taken sleeping pills because of a fight with her mother and a breakup with her boyfriend.

Later, Deputy Marshall John Gray said Sunny Han told him “she was angry and wanted to kill herself.”

Han had already held up the start of the day’s proceedings for an hour by the time she arrived. She was to continue her testimony detailing the November 1996 attack on her and a roommate in their Irvine apartment by two men. The prosecution contends that the attack was part of a murder plot by her twin sister and the two teenage boys.

Outside the presence of the jury, Superior Court Judge Eileen C. Moore demanded an explanation for Han’s tardiness.

In a soft, muffled voice, she told Moore of her troubles the night before. “I went to the drugstore,” she said, “and bought three boxes of sleeping pills. Each box contains 20 pills.”

Judge Moore suggested that Han be taken to a room in the courthouse “to sleep it off,” but the judge appeared alarmed when she saw the woman lose her balance as she left the stand. Two bailiffs had to help Han from the courtroom.

“I didn’t realize she’s as shaky as she is,” Moore said after Han left the room. “She looks as if she’s about to fall down.”

Moments later, Deputy Marshall John Gray returned to the courtroom saying, “I need paramedics. We have a female adult. She took three boxes of sleeping pills.”

It is not clear, however, exactly how many pills Han took or whether they were prescription or over-the-counter. She was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana where she was alert and in stable condition, according to hospital officials. She is expected to return to the stand later this week.

Jeen Han faces charges that she conspired with Archie Bryant and John Sayarth to kill her twin, who was able to call police in time to avoid harm. Sunny Han has made it clear that she believes her sister was somehow duped, but nonetheless she has been a key prosecution witness.

On Monday, she testified that she and her sister were close but admitted that they had their disagreements, including a 1995 fight in which Sunny Han said she punched her sister in the face.

Defense attorneys had initially wanted Sunny Han to continue her testimony, but Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce Moore asked that she receive medical attention and return later. Judge Moore agreed.

Jeen Han’s attorney, deputy public defender Roger Alexander, said he wanted Sunny Han to testify Tuesday so the jury could judge the credibility of a key witness against his client.

Alexander later explained outside court that he “didn’t want to put [Sunny Han] through hell but I wanted the jury to see what was going on. I don’t want this to be buried. I think the jury should be aware of everything.”

The prosecution contends that Jeen Han had tried several times to get someone to kill her sister.

Witness Joni Marion testified Tuesday that Jeen Han had told her that she wanted her sister dead.

“She wanted it done, and if we weren’t going to help her, she was going to find her own way to do it,” Marion testified.