“The Most Monstrous Crime” -A Reward of $50,000 was Announced in the Brutal Killing of 81 Years Old Woman in Woodland Hills
The Woodland Hills community in Los Angeles is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of an 81-year-old woman. Ok, police discovered Ja Kim’s body on August 2 after a fire broke out in her bedroom in the 20000 block of West Martha Street.
Unexpected tragedy in the middle of joy
Kim’s family members were worried when she didn’t show up to a get-together that day, so they went looking for her and eventually found her dead. When Ok Ja Kim, age 81, failed to attend a family gathering in August, a worried relative went to her house in Woodland Hills to investigate.
Los Angeles is currently offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and prosecution of a perpetrator. Authorities in Los Angeles found Kim “semi-charred, unconscious, and not breathing” on the floor of her bedroom in the 20800 block of Martha Street. She had been hiding under the bed.
Cruelty at its peak
The cops said she had “sharp and brutal force injuries,” including having been strangled. There looked to be a break-in and “significant traces of arson” in the home. At a press conference on Thursday, LAPD Det. Sharon Kim said, “I have worked many years in homicide and even more investigating violent crime, and I can honestly say that in my entire career, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a senseless and brutal act of murder.”
Police believe Kim was stabbed multiple times, strangled, and possibly set on fire during what they think was a home invasion robbery sometime between August 1 and August 2. During a press conference on Thursday, Kim’s daughter, Clara Kim, said, “As a family, we’re going to be wrestling with this, the circumstances of this, for a very long time. Because, in all honesty, this family could have been anyone. This person may have been your mother, your father, your grandfather, or even your child.”
“My mother was a real hard worker,”-Kim’s daughter says
The older adult, 81 at the time, was a loner. Her daughter said that despite her advanced age, she was still a hard worker. “This is a heinous murder that I have not, that we have not experienced throughout my career,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, whose district includes Woodland Hills. The city is significant, and horrific crimes have been perpetrated there, but “nothing quite like this.”
Police investigating the homicide have released an appeal for the public’s assistance locating the murderer or murderers. Authorities in Los Angeles found Kim “semi-charred, unconscious, and not breathing” on the floor of her bedroom in the 20800 block of Martha Street. She had been hiding under the bed.
Whether or not Kim had been followed home before her murder is unknown, so police are actively looking for additional surveillance footage and requesting the public’s assistance. The victim’s daughter, Clara Kim, has called on the neighborhood to take action. She reflected on her mother, saying, “My mother is a person who truly gave more in this life than she ever took.” Since her husband’s passing last year, the victim has been living alone.
