Upland Teenager Arrested in Slayings of Mother and Sister

An Upland teenager found Monday in Las Vegas, two days after his mother and 9-year-old sister were shot to death in their home, has been arrested on suspicion of the slayings.

Lt. Ed Gray of the Upland Police Department said detectives found Paul Yum, 15, alone in a room at the Riviera Hotel about 3 p.m., with his family’s luxury car in the parking lot. After several hours of questioning, they arrested him.

Detectives planned to return him to California on Tuesday evening and place him in San Bernardino County Juvenile Hall, Gray said.

The arrest came “as a result of interviews with him and evidence found linking him to the crime,” Gray said. He would not elaborate, but said police had not yet determined a motive.

Autopsy results released Tuesday confirmed that Esther Yum, 38, and Christine Yum each died of a single gunshot wound to the head. They had been shot at close range, possibly within one foot, authorities said.

A hunting rifle taken from the Yums’ home in the 400 block of Canterbury Court in Upland on the day of the killings is believed to be the murder weapon, Gray said. Police have not recovered it.

Paul Yum’s father, Tai Du Yum, discovered the bodies about 3 a.m. Saturday. His 6-year-old son was asleep and unharmed.

An Oregon man identifying himself as Esther Yum’s cousin said Tuesday that Tai Du Yum had hired an attorney for the teenager.

“He was a nice kid, a very nice kid,” the cousin said at the Upland home.

Dong Soon Hearn, Esther Yum’s mother, said only, “I don’t know, I don’t know.” Her husband, Yun Hearn, took the mail from his slain daughter’s house and sobbed as he drove away.

One of Paul Yum’s childhood friends expressed disbelief at the arrest.

“I just don’t see a motive,” said Lana Gailani, 16, who had attended the private Webb Schools in Claremont with him. “I mean, his little sister?”

Gailani said Yum, who had transferred to Upland High School a few months ago, “could get angry and yell at people,” but was “never physically violent.” She described him as loud, funny and sweet.

Jonathen Liu, 16, a sophomore at Upland High School, said he met Yum at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Rancho Cucamonga, where both are members. He said Yum used to volunteer to care for children at the church.

“He was a good guy and he couldn’t have done it,” Liu said. “He got good grades. I don’t know why everyone is writing he’s so horrible. He was just a really nice guy.”

David Ebertowski, the Yums’ next-door neighbor since 1990, said he was not aware of any problems in the family, which ran a liquor store in Upland until a few months ago. He had heard that the family planned to move to South Korea and was refurbishing their house to sell it. But then the “For Sale” sign came down about a week ago.

Kim Le, 15, a classmate at Upland High, said she had just talked with Paul last Wednesday.

“Honestly--Paul, he’s like a really good kid,” Le said. “He does have a temper, but I don’t think he would go that far.”