International Fugitive Wanted for Murders in Orange County, Santa Clara County Captured in Laos, Returned to the United States to Face Murder Charges in Two Counties After[...]

International Fugitive Wanted for Murders in Orange County, Santa Clara County
Captured in Laos, Returned to the United States to Face Murder Charges
in Two Counties After Eight Years on the Run
Capture marks the first return of a wanted fugitive from Laos to the United States; Myung Kim is the seventh wanted fugitive the FBI
and the Orange County District Attorney's Office have located in a foreign country
and returned to the U.S. to face trial in just the last six months.

SANTA ANA, Calif. - An international manhunt for a South Korean national wanted for orchestrating a botched murder for hire in San José in 2016 that killed the wrong person and for executing another man in Orange County two years later has ended with the fugitive being captured in Laos and returned to the United States to face murder charges in the two counties.

Myung Jin Kim, 31, was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May for immigration violations and flown back to Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday, June 9, 2026. He was booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail, where he was taken into custody by the San José Police Department and transported to Santa Clara County on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

Kim's removal from Laos marks the first time a wanted fugitive has been returned to the United States from Laos. Due to the outstanding cooperation and partnerships between Laos authorities and the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security in Vientiane, Kim was detained in Laos for using fraudulent travel documents. As a result, efforts between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Marshals in Orange County were successfully able to coordinate Kim's return to the U.S. for prosecution.

Since January 2026, the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the FBI have partnered to successfully extradite or remove seven international fugitives wanted for violent crimes from foreign countries and return them to the United States to face trial. This includes a woman who was captured in Mexico after murdering and decapitating her boyfriend, a man who was tracked down in Vietnam after he killed a 15-year-old boy and wounded another boy in a drive-shooting, and a man who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl before being arrested in Guatemala.

Kim's removal and return to the United States were a result of the collaboration and cooperation of a host of local, federal and international law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), FBI Law Enforcement Attache' in Bangkok and Singapore, FBI International Violent Crime Unit, FBI International Operations Division, FBI Orange County Fugitive and Violent Crime Task Force, U.S. Department of Justice Attache' 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, Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, San José Police Department, Anaheim Police Department, and Customs and Border Protection.

"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."

On June 27, 2016, in the city of San José, Myung Kim is accused of orchestrating the ambush killing of a man, but the hired hitman ended up killing the wrong person. At approximately 9:20 p.m., San José Police Department Patrol Officers responded to a report of a person shot in a residential neighborhood and found a man dead after being shot at least once.

Preliminary information revealed the victim was in a vehicle when the suspects, who had been lying in wait, ambushed him after he came to a stop. At least one suspect got out of their vehicle, shot the victim, and fled before police arrived. The subsequent investigation identified several suspects and revealed the shooting was a targeted killing believed to have been orchestrated by suspect Myung Jin Kim and arrest warrant was issued for his arrest. Despite multiple efforts to apprehend Kim, investigators were unable to locate him.

On September 5, 2018, Kim was out on bail after being charged by Orange County prosecutors with dealing drugs and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun and possession of metal piercing ammunition when he is accused of shooting and killing his friend, 26-year-old Christopher Kim, after arguing with him over money in the parking lot of a Westminster CVS. Kim shot Christopher Kim six times in front of the victim's girlfriend and ran away.

On November 20, 2018, an arrest warrant was issued for Kim for the murder of Christopher Kim.

Based on further investigation into the San José murder that revealed Kim had attempted to pay a hitman to kill the original target in the 2016 murder, an arrest warrant was issued for Kim on February 3, 2020, for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

In December 2025, investigators learned that Kim was in Laos and in cooperation with the Orange County and Santa Clara County district attorney's office, began working to return Kim to the United States to be prosecuted for the crimes he committed in both counties.

"Once again, an all-star team of agencies worked closely together to make sure a multiple murder suspect faces justice," said Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. "Cooperation closes cases."

"No matter how much time passes or how far someone runs, accountability can still find them," said San José Police Chief Paul Joseph. "Our homicide detectives never gave up on this case, and their persistence, combined with extraordinary support from our law enforcement partners, brought this suspect back to San José to face justice."

Kim is expected to be prosecuted for his crimes in Santa Clara County before being returned to Orange County to be prosecuted for his crimes committed in Orange County.

"If you come to our city and commit murder or any other serious crime, we will track you down and arrest you. No matter how long it takes us or where you flee to, we are coming for you," said Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to our federal partners and OCDA's office for their efforts in bringing a violent fugitive to justice."

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