How Old Is Soon Ja Du?

Soon Ja Du is a Korean woman who co-owned the Empire Liquor Store in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles. On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, in her convenience store.

Soon Ja Du is a Korean immigrant whose family owned the Empire Liquor Store at the intersection of 91st St. and Figueroa Ave. back in the 90s. It was at this location that Soon Ja Du would shoot Latasha Harlins on March 16, 1991.

Soon Ja Du and her family migrated to Los Angeles in 1976 when she was 35 years old. She graduated from a university in Seoul, South Korea, where she studied literature. Soon Ja Du follows Christianity.

However, many felt that the court was lenient with Soon Ja Du only because of her race. Latasha’s aunt, Denise Harlins, said, “It was like a knife going through my heart. It was like they were celebrating her for killing Latasha. That’s when it went through my head to do something, though I didn’t know what.

Soon Ja Du was born on Saturday, December 27, 1941 ( age 79 years ; as of 2020 ), in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Soon Ja Du and her family migrated to Los Angeles in 1976 when she was 35 years old. She graduated from a university in Seoul, South Korea, where she studied literature.

On Monday, December 15, 1958, Soon Ja Du got married to Billy Heung Ki Du. The couple has three children; two sons, Joseph and Michel, and a daughter, Sandy, who was a theological student at Biola University in 1991.

Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, and she claimed that she shot Harlins in self-defence as she believed that her life was in danger. Du’s testimony was contradicted by the two eye-witnesses and the video which was revived from the store security camera. The video exclusively showed that Du shot Harlins when she attempted to leave the store empty-handed. On November 15, 1991, the jury found Du guilty and delivered the verdict stating that Du fired the gun voluntarily. As Du was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury recommended the maximum prison sentence for the crime, which was 16 years. However, Joyce Karlin, the trial judge, did not approve the jury’s recommendation and instead sentenced Du to five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. The court stated that the crime was committed under extreme provocation and that Du’s capacity to act rationally in the situation was undermined by her past experiences with the robberies. In July, post the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Harlins family was awarded $300,000 in the settlement.

As Du was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury recommended the maximum prison sentence for the crime, which was 16 years.

Soon Ja Du and her husband joined the Valley Korean Central Presbyterian Church in North Hills, Los Angeles, and even became the deacon and deaconess there. [1] The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins.

Career. Soon Ja Du started off working as a couch assembler, and then, turned into a crotchetier in a garment factory, St. John Knits. In 1981, Soon Ja Du and her husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, purchased a convenience store, Empire Liquor Store, in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles.

Therefore, Du grabbed Harlins by her sweater, accused her of stealing, and snatched her backpack. Harlins reciprocated to this by punching Du twice and knocking her down to the ground. Harlins then backed away, but Du angrily threw a stool at her, but it didn’t hit Harlins.

Who is Soon Ja Du’s husband?

It was unusual for Soon Ja Du, who was originally from Korea, to be behind the counter at the Empire Liquor store. Her husband, Billy Hong Ki Du , or her son generally operated the convenience store on a day-to-day basis. On the morning of March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du was on duty at the store, while her husband was outside.

On the morning of March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du was on duty at the store, while her husband was outside. Following the shooting of Latasha Harlin, Soon Ja Du went on trial. She testified on her own behalf, and she said that she believed that her life was in danger when the shooting occurred.

On March 16, 1991, at around 10 a.m., Latasha entered the Empire Liquor store to purchase the container of orange juice. Du said that Latasha went to put the juice in her backpack before paying for it, and she then assumed that the teenager had intended on stealing it. Latasha was holding $2 in her hand. Source: Netflix.

Latasha wanted to become a lawyer, and she also had a goal to own her own business so that she could be free from being watched and followed by merchants for the color of her skin. Ty recounted what Latasha would say about her aspirations. Article continues below advertisement. “‘We could still be lawyers.

Article continues below advertisement. After Du was found guilty, Judge Joyce Karlin sentenced her to time served, 400 hours of community service, a $500 fine, and five years of probation. Though she faced a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison, …

Latasha’s aunt, Denise Harlins, founded The Latasha Harlins Justice Committee in her honor. She passed away on Christmas Day in 2018. A Love Song for Latasha is available to stream on Netflix now. Advertisement.

Latasha was holding $2 in her hand. Source: Netflix. Article continues below advertisement. According to surveillance video from the store, Du grabbed Latasha by her sweater and she attempted to remove her backpack. After that, Latasha swung at Du. Du eventually fell down, and she then threw a nearby stool at Latasha.

What did Ja Du say about the shooting?

Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that the shooting was in self-defense and that she believed her life was in danger. But her testimony was contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time, as well as the store’s security camera video, which showed Du shooting Harlins in the back of the head as the teenager turned away from Du and attempted to leave the store. The Los Angeles Police Department ballistics report also found that the handgun Du used was altered in such a way that it required much less pressure on the trigger to fire than an ordinary handgun.

However, the trial judge, Joyce Karlin, sentenced Du to five years of probation, 10 years of suspended prison, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine.

Despite intervention from leaders of both communities, the time after the death of Latasha Harlins was categorized by boy cotts, tense debate, bitterness, Molotov Cocktails, and more convenience store murders. However, while tensions were exponentially increased because of the killing of Harlins, they were built on existing conflict that had been present in the community. Korean immigrant shop-owners have a growing presence in black communities since before the 1970s. Since then, they have been a target of anger from both black shop-owners and black customers, with competing claims from either group that say Korean shop-owners “undercut prices” by the shop-owners and that they over charge by the customers. In 1984, seven years before Latasha Harlins was shot, an editorial was posted in a black community newspaper urging a boycott of Korean stores, saying that any black person who went to their stores was a ‘traitor’. Korean immigrants bought their storefronts in black neighborhoods, specifically South Los Angeles, because the real estate was significantly cheaper than other neighborhoods. The distrust runs possibly even further, because in the same editorial the writer exclaims, “The real question is, why was my brother’s brains blown out fighting for those Koreans?” in reference to the Korean War. Further, the stereotypes of the two groups was a source of contension, with black people often being labeled at economically “dependent” while Koreans and other Asians are often labeled at economically self-sufficient. Tensions only continued to mount during 1991, where injustices against black Americans, and the release of the police officers who beat Rodney King were released. These events all culminated in deadly and destructive riots beginning on April 29, 1992 and continuing through May 4, 1992. Many of the targets of looting and destruction were Korean stores, with more than two-thousand Korean stores being burned or looted. Though these ethnic tensions have not resulted in wide-scale violence since 1992, the relationship between Koreans and the black community remains strained.

Latasha Harlins was born January 1, 1976, in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Crystal Harlins and Sylvester “Vester” Acoff Sr. Latasha had one younger brother, Vester Acoff Jr., and one younger sister, Christina. The family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles in 1981. In 1982, when Latasha was six years old, her father took a job in a steel foundry while her mother worked as a waitress in a local tavern. They lived near 89th St. and Broadway, just a few blocks from where Latasha would be killed ten years later.

Two eyewitnesses—9-year-old Ismail Ali and his 13-year-old sister Lakeshia Combs—disputed that claim, saying that Du called Harlins a “bitch” and accused her of trying to steal, to which they claimed Harlins replied that she intended to pay for the orange juice.

Soon Ja Du’s store, Empire Liquor, located at the intersection of 91st St. and Figueroa Ave. Vermont Vista, Los Angeles, was normally staffed by Du’s husband and son. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van.

After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police concluded that Harlins intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand. The videotape showed that Du grabbed Harlins by her sweater and snatched her backpack.