Man Guilty in 1988 Deaths of DEA Agents

A Pasadena jury Tuesday convicted a Taiwanese national in connection with the murders of two federal drug agents during an undercover sting, capping an 17-year legal odyssey.

A capacity crowd watched as Michael Su Chia, 35, was found guilty of five felony charges, including two counts of murder in connection with the Feb. 5, 1988, deaths of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents Paul S. Seema and George M. Montoya.

Most of the seats in Judge Michelle Rosenblatt’s courtroom were filled by law enforcement officers, including current and former DEA agents, some of whom bowed their heads as the verdicts were read.

“It’s difficult because it reopened old wounds, not only for myself, but for the entire DEA,” said Jose Martinez, a drug agent who was seriously wounded in the sting, which authorities called “an obvious murder-theft” setup to steal $80,000 in an undercover drug buy.

Chia, who was not the triggerman but was found responsible for planning the heist, also was convicted of attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy. He faces more than 100 years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 9.

Defense attorney Larry Forbes said he was “terribly disappointed” by the jury’s decision. A member of Chia’s family, who declined to be identified, repeatedly said: “No justice.”

Outside Los Angeles County Superior Court, no members of the nine-woman, three-man jury would discuss the case. But Deputy Dist. Atty. Darryl Mavis praised their work.

“I’m very, very pleased that a jury reconfirmed what the jury did back in 1988,” Mavis said. “They heard the testimony and concluded that the defendant was just as responsible for these murders as the people who pulled the trigger.”

The verdicts ended a 17-year appeal process in a case that went from trial court to the U.S. Supreme Court and back again.

Chia was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive 25-year prison terms a year after the slayings in a Pasadena neighborhood.

But the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new trial, saying the lower court had erred by excluding a statement by co-defendant William Wang, who said that Chia was not involved in the killings.

Still, prosecutors faced hurdles in a case made more difficult after court officials destroyed the original evidence -- including the murder weapon -- forcing them to rely largely on circumstantial evidence.

During the seven-week trial, Mavis argued that Chia had plotted with Wang and two other men to rob and then kill the agents they believed were drug dealers.

The day of the killings, Seema, 52; Montoya, 34; and Martinez, then 25, met Wang, Frank Kow and Michael Sun at a restaurant in Monterey Park to arrange the sale of 2 pounds of heroin.

The agents showed Kow a briefcase with $80,000 inside and drove him to a house on Marengo Avenue to pick up the drugs. Kow stepped out of the car, and a second vehicle containing Sun and Wang parked behind it.

Kow and Wang immediately began firing at the agents.

Montoya and Seema were killed as they sat in the front seat of the car. Martinez, who was shot through both legs, jumped out of the car and opened fire at the fleeing suspects.