Earlier this month, her two stepdaughters filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a lady in Washington state who is accused of hitting and slashing her husband in the back with a knife after an argument.
The woman maintains she acted in self-defense. She faces a second-degree murder charge.
The daughters of victim Jay Choi claim in their complaint that they are entitled to both general and specific compensatory damages for his death, regardless of the cause.
“Jay Choi sustained serious bodily injuries resulting in pain, suffering, disability, fear of impending death, and wrongful death, entitling his estate to recover general and special compensatory damages … and any other damages allowable as a result of Defendant’s tortious conduct,” according to the daughters’ complaint.
“This is also evidenced by Youngmi Shin’s acts … even though the death of Jay Choi was most likely without premeditation.”
At their residence in the 10200 block of Ainsworth Avenue South in Parkland, roughly 10 miles south of Tacoma, Shin, 52, is charged with fatally stabbing Choi, 62, back in November.
According to Shin’s charging paperwork, which are part of the wrongful death lawsuit, Choi “grabbed her by the hair and then punched her in the face” before she fought back and stabbed him. Shin has entered a not guilty plea and claims self-defense.
According to a probable cause declaration from the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, “Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 10200 block of Ainsworth Avenue South in Pierce County regarding a welfare check,” naming the individual who reported Choi’s death as a neighbor who lived a few houses down.
“Dispatch reported that the reporting party had been flagged down by an Asian woman covered in blood. Defendant Youngmi Shin, an Asian woman, informed the reporting party that her spouse was terminally ill.
When deputies arrived, they spoke with the reporting party and were informed that Shin, “covered in blood,” had fled down a road to the east. According to the criminal documents, they heard a “hysterical female yelling” as they started to inspect the driveway.
According to the records, they saw the defendant “holding and on top of a male on the ground” as they turned the corner of the house on the property. “Blood was all over the male and female.”
Police said that when deputies found Choi and Shin, he was still. According to the charging paperwork, “he had one eye open and one eye closed.” The defendant was removed from the victim by deputies. When deputies looked for the victim’s pulse, they were unable to locate it.
Prosecutors claim that Shin told police she had been “in some sort of argument” with Choi and had “stabbed her husband in the back with a knife” as they were chopping off Choi’s garments to find out where he was hurt. According to the criminal documents, she also claimed that the knife she used was “inside.”
In an interview with detectives, the neighbor who reported the event claimed that Shin had frantically pounded on her front door and asked her to contact the police.
“When she opened the door, she saw the defendant standing there with blood on her hands,” according to the probable cause declaration. “The defendant told her that her husband was dying and asked her to call the police. The defendant then ran back out of the driveway.”
According to the charge documents, which are inadmissible in court, prosecutors claim that Shin confessed to killing Choi in self-defense after she invoked her right to counsel.
She said that even though they had family visiting the following day, she and Choi had a fight because he had “almost” finished a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey with two friends.
According to the charging paperwork, “[Choi] came into the house and asked her to have a drink with him.” He invited her to accompany him to the store so they could sing for him. She did so, but she just had two Coors Light beers that night and did not consume the whiskey.
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Shin claimed that after a while, Choi requested her to purchase another bottle of whiskey, but she declined. According to the criminal paperwork, Shin told officers that her husband had insulted her parents, then demanded a set of keys and was attempting to leave the residence.
She claimed to police that Choi attacked her after she attempted to block the entryway to prevent him from driving.
In addition to wrongful death, Choi’s daughters are suing for “personal injuries, loss of love and companionship for (their) father and for injuries and destruction of the parent-child relationship.”
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They are also suing for negligent infliction of emotional distress. Choi lacked a will, according to their case.
In a filing last week opposing a motion to lower Shin’s bail, which has been set at $1 million, the daughters stated, “The grief my family, as well as my father’s friends, are enduring is unimaginable, and we will never fully heal from this profound loss,” according to The News Tribune.
According to the Tribune, the couple said Choi is “a serious flight risk” because of her suspected criminal ties and history of arranging fictitious marriages for immigration purposes. Her bail reduction request was turned down.