{"id":670,"date":"2026-06-15T04:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T04:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=670"},"modified":"2026-06-15T04:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T04:02:59","slug":"suspect-in-bay-area-botched-murder-for-hire-found-after-global-manhunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=670","title":{"rendered":"Suspect in Bay Area botched murder-for-hire found after global manhunt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An international manhunt for a suspect in a botched murder-for-hire killing in the Bay Area has ended with an arrest halfway across the world.<\/p>

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On the evening of June 27, 2016, police received a 911 call for a shooting in a residential part of San Jose. On the 1700 block of Cape Aston Court, officers found Justin Tran, 26, dead from a gunshot wound. Upon investigating, San Jose police learned Tran, who was in a car, was being trailed by multiple people \u201clying in wait.\u201d When the car came to a stop, at least one suspect ambushed Tran, shooting him dead.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

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As the investigation continued, detectives learned that Tran wasn\u2019t the intended target; it appeared this was a murder-for-hire gone wrong. Four suspects were identified, and three were taken into custody. But a fourth, South Korean national Myung Jin Kim, remained on the run.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

San Jose police listed Kim on its list of most-wanted fugitives, sharing his photo widely on social media. \u201cAfter extensive social media exposure,\u201d San Jose police said in a press release that Kim went to the U.S. Embassy in Laos to inquire about travel documentation. Laos does not have an extradition treaty in place with the U.S., so despite Kim\u2019s status as a wanted fugitive, he was allowed to leave the embassy. San Jose police were informed of his location, however.<\/p><\/div>

During the course of the yearslong investigation, San Jose police learned that Kim was also wanted on suspicion of murder in Orange County. Two years after Tran\u2019s killing, Kim was arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs and gun charges in Orange County. But while out on bail on Sept. 5, 2018, Kim allegedly got into a fight with a friend, Christopher Kim, 26, in a Westminster CVS parking lot. The argument, which law enforcement says was over money, escalated into Myung Kim shooting Christopher Kim six times in front of a witness. Christopher Kim died of his wounds.<\/p><\/div>

Officers from Orange County, Santa Clara County, the FBI, Department of Justice and other agencies began speaking with law enforcement in Laos when they learned of Kim\u2019s location. Laotian police agreed to arrest Kim, now 31 years old, on suspicion of immigration violations, and he was flown back to LAX on June 9.\u00a0<\/p>

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