A South Korean national wanted for two murders in California has been apprehended in Laos and returned to the United States to face murder charges, concluding an eight-year manhunt.
Myung Jin Kim, 31, was sought in connection with a botched murder-for-hire plot in San Jose in 2016 and the killing of his friend in Westminster two years later. An arrest warrant was filed for Kim in November 2018, but he is believed to have fled the country and evaded authorities for eight years.
Kim was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May for immigration violations and extradited to Los Angeles on Wednesday. "Mr. Kim’s cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe," stated Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
Authorities allege Kim hired a hitman for an ambush in San Jose on June 27, 2016, but the hitman mistakenly killed the wrong person. Kim was later suspected of fatally shooting his friend, 26-year-old Christopher Kim, in a Westminster CVS parking lot on September 5, 2018, following an argument over money. He allegedly shot his friend multiple times in front of his girlfriend before fleeing on foot.
Arrest warrants were issued for Kim by Orange County in November 2018 and by San Jose police in February 2020 for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder related to the 2016 incident. Kim's evasion ended in December 2025 when he was located living in Laos. He was detained for immigration offenses, including the use of fraudulent travel documents.
Officials from Orange and Santa Clara counties collaborated with the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to facilitate Kim's return to face felony charges. He was booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail and subsequently transported to Santa Clara County. Federal officials noted this marks the first instance of an individual being detained and returned to the U.S. from Laos.
