A fugitive accused in two separate California killings is back in local custody after authorities tracked him to Laos and put him on a plane to Los Angeles earlier this month. Officials identified the suspect as 31-year-old Myung Jin Kim, who faces murder charges in connection with a 2016 ambush in San José and a 2018 slaying in Westminster. Kim landed at Los Angeles International Airport on June 9, was booked into an Anaheim Police Department jail that same day, and was transferred to Santa Clara County custody on June 10.
How He Was Found And Returned
San José police say Kim’s capture capped a multinational operation that pulled in the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and Lao PDR law enforcement. Investigators located Kim in Laos in May, then flew him into LAX on Tuesday, according to a press release via OCDA Todd Spitzer. Authorities described the case as one of several international fugitive repatriations this year and credited tight coordination among federal, local and overseas partners. Orange County prosecutors pointed to the arrest as a textbook example of cross-border cooperation.
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
— OCDA Todd Spitzer (@OCDAToddSpitzer) June 12, 2026
Capture marks the first return of a wanted fugitive from Laos to the United States;… pic.twitter.com/mYu52xcQqW
The Cases He Is Accused In
San José police records indicate Kim was identified as a suspect in a June 27, 2016 ambush that left Justin Tran dead on the 1700 block of Cape Aston Court. Detectives obtained murder warrants and listed Kim as at large. Authorities also say Kim is accused of the September 5, 2018 shooting death of 26-year-old Christopher Kim in Westminster, with arrest paperwork in that case dating back to late 2018. With Kim now back in U.S. custody, prosecutors in both Santa Clara and Orange counties are expected to move ahead on previously issued charges and warrants.
Legal Next Steps
After his arrival at LAX, Kim was booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail and later transported to Santa Clara County custody by San José police as local prosecutors prepare formal filings. Court dates had not yet been announced in the release, and arraignment scheduling will be handled by prosecutors in the two counties as the parallel cases move forward.
