California
Fugitive wanted for two California murders captured in Laos and extradited to U.S.
A California fugitive wanted in connection with two murders was captured in Laos and extradited to the United States.
Myung Jin Kim, 31, was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May and flown back to Los Angeles International Airport on June 9.
Kim was wanted for his alleged roles in two murders — one that occurred in 2016 and another in 2018, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
On June 27, 2016, Kim was accused of orchestrating the botched ambush killing of the wrong man in San Jose.
The victim was in a vehicle when the suspects, who were lying in wait, ambushed him after he came to a stop. At least one suspect got out of their vehicle, shot the man, and fled before police arrived.
Investigators later identified several suspects and discovered the shooting was a targeted killing believed to have been orchestrated by Kim. Prosecutors said the person who was fatally shot ended up being the wrong man and was not the intended target.
A warrant was issued for Kim’s arrest, however, police were unable to locate him.
On Sept. 5, 2018, Kim was accused of shooting and killing his friend, Christopher Kim, 26, after arguing with him over money in the parking lot of a CVS store in Westminster. He reportedly shot the victim six times in front of the victim’s girlfriend before running away, authorities said. Another arrest warrant was issued for Kim on Nov. 20, 2018, for murder.
Kim remained in hiding for several years until December 2025, when investigators learned that he had fled the country and was overseas in Laos.
Authorities from multiple agencies, including the Orange County and Santa Clara County district attorney’s offices, along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service, began working to return Kim to the United States for prosecution.
In late May 2026, Kim was taken into custody by Laotian authorities for using fraudulent travel documents. He was flown back to Los Angeles International Airport on June 9.
He was booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail, where he was taken into custody by the San Jose Police Department and later transported to Santa Clara County on June 10.
Kim’s arrest and extradition mark the first-ever return of a wanted fugitive from Laos to the United States, prosecutors said.
“Mr. Kim’s cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe,” said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI’s Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is proud to assist police departments seeking violent subjects who’ve fled the jurisdiction, and we will continue these partnerships and those we’ve developed with countries all over the world to seek justice for victims of violent crime.”
“Justice knows no borders and we will go to the literal ends of the earth in the pursuit of justice,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But the long arm of the law of Orange County is coming for you and there is not a country on earth that is capable of shielding you from our unwavering pursuit of justice. We believe in consequences for your actions, and you will be held accountable for every crime you commit and for every victim you harm.”
Kim is expected to be prosecuted in Santa Clara County first, before returning to Orange County to be prosecuted for the crimes committed in that jurisdiction.
He was also previously charged in Orange County with drug dealing, possessing a gun as a convicted felon and metal piercing ammunition.
Kim’s removal and extradition to the U.S. were a result of the collaboration and cooperation of local, federal and international law enforcement agencies, including:
- Multiple divisions/units in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- U.S. Department of Justice Attaché in Manila
- U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service in Vientiane (Laos) and Singapore
- U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (Bangkok and Singapore)
- Lao PDR law enforcement
- Orange County District Attorney’s Office
- Westminster Police Department
- Anaheim Police Department
- Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office
- San Jose Police Department
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection