Man Is Charged With Murder in Death of Toddler

A Fullerton man on probation for trying to bribe a university basketball player was charged with murder Tuesday in the beating death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son.

Jack Oh, 22, appeared Monday in Justice Center in Fullerton, but his arraignment was postponed until Friday, according to court officials. He was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail, Fullerton Police Sgt. Joe Klein said. Oh’s girlfriend, Thuy B. Nguyen, 19, has been charged with felony child abuse in connection with the fatality. She is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Paramedics called to the couple’s home Saturday found that the toddler was not breathing. The child, who showed signs of extensive bruising on his head and torso, was taken to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, where he was pronounced dead, Klein said. Two other children in the home were taken into protective custody, Klein said.

Oh, a former Cal State Fullerton student, was arrested last year after a Cal State Fullerton basketball player told police that Oh had offered him $1,000--plus $100 for every missed free throw--if he would help fix a game against the University of the Pacific.

Oh pleaded guilty to a felony bribery charge and was sentenced to nine months in jail. He was ordered to get treatment for gambling addiction and was placed on five years’ probation.