Han twins murder conspiracy

The Han twins murder conspiracy was a case of attempted murder by Jeena Han (also known as Jeena Young Han or Jeena "Gina" Han) of her identical twin sister, Sunny Han, in November 1996 in Orange County, California, United States.

It quickly became a sensationalized story in the media, bringing back to mind the highly charged media circus of the O.J. Simpson trial a few years earlier. The case brought together several themes, including surviving a broken family through a close sisterly bond, a "good" twin sister and an "evil" twin sister who were both beautiful as well as co-valedictorians at their high school, intense sibling rivalry, and a severe envy complex.

The Han twins were born in South Korea in April of 1974, but lived apart until they were 3 years old. Their mother, Boo I. Kim, then took them to Orange County, California when they were 12 years old. She worked as a cocktail waitress, but was also a compulsive gambler, leaving the twins alone for days at a time while she went away on gambling trips. The sisters, having nobody else around, developed a strong bond between each other to cope. Unable to take care of them, Boo Kim then sent them to live with an uncle and aunt in 1990, in Campo, a California city near the United States-Mexico border. Both girls did well there and excelled in school, graduating high school as co-valedictorians. They both worked in restaurants for a time, and then Sunny went on to the University of La Verne on a scholarship. Jeena continued working at a restaurant, and then to earn money for college, she decided to take up US citizenship and then join the US Air Force. The two grew apart and in a year spoke only once or twice by phone.

Stunned by the rigors of boot camp, Jeena tried to leave under the pretense that her father was ill, and when that ruse failed, she tried claiming to be a lesbian. The Air Force finally relented and released her. In the meantime, Sunny, having failing grades for three school semesters, had her scholarship revoked, dropped out of college and began working as a receptionist. Jeena then worked in a casino in Lakeside, California as a blackjack dealer and became a gambling addict herself, going into heavy debt, and in January, 1996 attempted suicide. To repay her debts, Jeena stole credit cards and personal checks from friends and family, for purposes of forgery. Subsequently, she was arrested, and later skipped out on her probation.

Jeena then moved up north to live with Sunny. The two had arguments, and Jeena once stole Sunny's car. During a physical argument in May 1996, Sunny hit Jeena, breaking her nose. The police responded to 4 disturbances, and at one of them arrested Sunny on an outstanding warrant for credit card theft. Sunny reportedly had stolen a friend's card and then went on a shopping spree, justifying it by saying her friend wouldn't mind because her friend was rich. While Sunny was in jail, Jeena stole Sunny's car, credit cards, ID, and savings. She earned money by charging high priced electronics with Sunny's credit cards and then pawning them with the packages still unopened. After release, Sunny pressed charges and Jeena was then put in jail, with Sunny refusing to help her. Jeena was convicted of a felony and sentenced to 6 months, and then put on a work furlough, but she skipped out on that as well.

For the next 6 months, the two met only once and Jeena refused to repay Sunny for her losses. Around October 1996, while going to Orange County from San Diego, Jeena told travelling companions that she wanted to hurt or kill Sunny, offering them money and asking how to obtain a gun. After another trip from San Diego and locating Sunny's residence in Irvine, Jeena asked several acquaintances and strangers if they would help her beat up or kill her sister. No agreement was ever reached, so nothing transpired.

But soon after, Jeena recruited two teenagers, John Sayarath, also known as 'Yoshi', 15, and Archie Bryant, 16 and just before going to Sunny's apartment went to buy large garbage bags, duct tape, twine, gloves, Pine-Sol cleaner, and magazines. Finally, on November 16, 1996, Bryant pretended to be selling magazines and then barged in to Sunny's apartment, forcing her roommate Helen Kim to the floor and tying her up. Sayarath followed, but was sent back to the car by Jeena because she did not want him to see what would happen. Hearing the noise, Sunny then called the police on her cell phone, who were located less than 2 minutes away. Bryant found Sunny, pointed a gun at her and also tied her up, and then made both women sit in the bathtub. After the police came, Bryant untied the women and was arrested. Jeena and Sayarath, already in the car, then left the scene. Later that day, Jeena used Sunny's driver's license to withdraw $5,000, and attempted to buy a $19,000 Nissan. Both Jeena and Sayarath were arrested that night in San Diego when returning her rental car just a half hour from the Mexican border.

After nearly a year in jail awaiting trial, Jeena Han was tried for conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of burglary, possession of a firearm, and two counts of false imprisonment. The two teenagers were also tried as co-conspirators. Several additional twists occurred, with Sunny appearing to capitalize on the news, going on the talk shows including receiving $10,000 for her story on the TV tabloid show, "Hard Copy". Sunny said she believed Jeena never meant to kill her, but in court gave solid testimony against her. On the first day of trial, Sunny was lucid and well-composed. However, on the third day of the trial, Sunny appeared dishevelled and unable to talk or walk competently. Sunny then revealed that she argued with her mother the night before on the phone, as well as broke up with her boyfriend, then attempted suicide by overdose of several dozen sleeping pills. The trial went on without Sunny's presence, with Jeena's defense arguing that she never wanted to kill Sunny but only to scare her and get her things back. The defense did not call any of the defendants to the witness stand, and the Sunny's testimony was never contested.

The court concluded that the presence of the bags, cleaner, and the placement of Sunny and Helen Kim in the bathtub amounted to prior preparation with conspiracy to murder, and in November 1997, Jeena was found guilty. Sunny and their mother both asked the court for leniency, but in May 1998, Jeena received the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Bryant, since he had a loaded gun and was brutal to Helen Kim, was sentenced to 16 years, and Sayarath to 8 years because he was a follower, awaiting re-evaluation. A forensic psychologist testified for the defense that Jeena had a "personality disorder with mixed traits" that predisposed her to extreme mood swings. Three days after the verdict, Jeena again attempted suicide with a stash of pain killers she had in her cell.

An appeal of Jeena's judgment was filed in 2000, but while the court modified it slightly, it rejected nearly all the defense's arguments and let the core of the verdict stand.

Jeena Han is serving her term in the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla located near Fresno, and will be eligible for parole in 2020.

External links

* [http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/1996/11/18/export6063.txt Family feud leads to twin's murder plot]
* [http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/1997/11/21/export7262.txt 'Evil twin' found guilty of plotting to kill sister]
* [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/g023433.pdf Court of Appeal verdict The People v. Jeen Young Han et al. 2/25/00]
* [http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/the_investigators/a_f_episodes/evil_twin.html The Investigator's take on the case]