Murder suspect in Vegas jail

Ben Godar

A man suspected of killing his wife in their Burbank apartment this

week is in police custody in Las Vegas, but he could be sent back to

Burbank as early as Monday, authorities said.

Joong Myung Kim, 53, was taken into custody by CHP officers about

5:30 p.m. Wednesday after crashing his Toyota Camry on Interstate 15

between Baker, Calif., and Primm, Nev. Kim was wanted by Burbank

Police for allegedly killing his wife, 45-year-old Young Sun Cho,

that morning.

Officers were called to an apartment in the 600 block of East

Cedar Avenue about 7 a.m. Wednesday after Cho’s 16-year-old daughter

called 911 to report that her mother wasn’t breathing. Police and

fire paramedics responded to the call, but Cho was pronounced dead at

the scene, police said. Kim’s 8-year-old grandson was also inside the

apartment, but police said both children were asleep when the woman

was allegedly murdered.

Burbank Police notified law-enforcement agencies throughout the

region to be on the lookout for Kim, who police said was known to

frequent the Palm Springs and Las Vegas areas. CHP officers who

responded to the crash ran a check of Kim’s license plate and

contacted Burbank Police, who had issued a no-bail warrant for his

arrest.

Police spokesman Sgt. William Berry said it appears Cho was

strangled, but an official cause of death won’t be determined until

the coroner’s investigation is complete. The two children were placed

in a foster home by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and

Family until other relatives could be located, he said.

Kim was taken to a Las Vegas hospital for treatment and released

late Wednesday into a Clark County jail, police said. Three Burbank

detectives traveled to Las Vegas to question Kim, who likely will be

extradited to Burbank following a court hearing Monday or Tuesday.

From conversations with family and others who knew Kim and Cho,

police learned there was a history of domestic violence between the

two, but officers have never been called to the home before, Berry

said.

“Apparently this was one of those suffering-in-silence type of

things,” he said.

Like police, several neighbors said they were unaware of any

problems in the building.

“We’ve never heard a fight or anything coming from over there,”

said Kurt Ela, whose apartment overlooks the one where the alleged

murder occurred.

Kathy Pirrucello, who manages a building up the street, said she

was shocked to hear about the crime.

“All my life I’ve lived in Burbank, and I never expected to be

close to something like this,” she said.