Twin Remains in Hospital as Murder Conspiracy Trial Continues

Sunny Han remained in intensive care Wednesday, recovering from an overdose of sleeping pills, as the trial of her twin sister, Jeen Han, continued in Orange County Superior Court.

If her medical condition allows, the prosecution hopes the 23-year-old can continue her testimony today in the trial of her sister and two teenagers accused of planning her murder.

“She is still stable in ICU and they don’t have an estimated time of release,” Irvine Police Det. Victor Ray reported to Judge Eileen C. Moore.

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, want jurors to hear about the dramatic turn of events Tuesday: Sunny Han arrived in court near collapse, was unable to testify, and was rushed to the hospital after telling Moore she had taken sleeping pills following a fight with her mother and a breakup with her boyfriend. She told authorities she washed the pills down with beer.

The jury was not present when Sunny Han appeared in court Tuesday and had to be helped from the room by bailiffs.

“The question is going to be, whatever her condition is, is that going to affect her testimony,” Salavatore Ciulla, attorney for defendant John Sayarth, said outside court.

If Sunny Han returns to court today, the prosecution is expected to finish its case, allowing the defense to begin theirs on Monday. The case could be sent to the jury by the middle of next week.

Jeen Han, 23, and 17-year-old Archie Bryant and 16-year-old Sayarth are on trial for conspiracy to commit murder, burglary and false imprisonment. They have pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution contends that Jeen Han enlisted the help of Bryant and Sayarth to kill Sunny Han, with whom she had been feuding.

Sunny Han and her roommate, Helen Kim, were bound and gagged in their Irvine apartment and held at gunpoint on Nov. 6, 1996, by two men before they were interrupted by police. Sunny Han called police from a cell phone in her bedroom before the men grabbed her.

But defense attorneys contend that the trio had gone to the apartment to retrieve some of Jeen Han’s belongings, which her sister had refused to return to her, and never intended to harm her.

On Wednesday, two San Diego women testified that prior to the attack, they had driven with Jeen Han to her sister’s home to help her collect her belongings. They said that during the trip, Jeen Han offered money to anyone who would beat up her sister and that as the night wore on, the talk turned to murder.

The two women were not in agreement when the ride took place. Robyn Weatherby said she believed it happened about a week before the Nov. 6 attack. Arkisha Moore said she believed it was the night before the arrests.

Other details in their testimony did not match, but both women said that Jeen Han mentioned having her twin killed and said that if she didn’t kill her sister first, her sister would kill her. They said Jeen Han said she was afraid of her sister, who she said had ties to Asian gangs.

Moore, who is Bryant’s cousin, testified that Jeen Han said she would kill her sister and dispose of her body in a bag. In recruiting others, she said all they “had to do was knock her out and she’d do the rest.”

At one point, Weatherby, 19, appeared confused about what she remembered firsthand from that night and what she had seen on television about the case, which has received international media attention.

But she said she was positive that when Jeen Han dropped her off that night, she once again spoke of having her sister killed.

“When I got dropped off at home, she asked me if I knew anyone who could kill her sister and if I had ever killed anyone,” Weatherby said. “I told her no I hadn’t and I didn’t know anyone who could do it.”

Weatherby said she didn’t call police after the incident because she was certain Han wasn’t serious. Moore said she still regrets not notifying authorities.