One of two teenagers involved in last year’s fatal stabbing of a store owner in the Los Angeles Fashion District during a robbery has been sentenced to five years in a juvenile facility, as confirmed by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office on December 5.
17 years old at the time of the incident in October, the defendant pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He has been handed the maximum sentence for a juvenile for this charge, five years in a secure youth treatment facility.
The legal proceedings for the other teenager, also 17 at the crime’s occurrence, are ongoing. A court hearing is scheduled in two weeks. The identities of both juveniles remain confidential due to their age.
The victim, Du Young Lee, 56, had operated the wig store for nearly twenty years, where he was fatally stabbed.
According to witness accounts, the incident unfolded when two teens attempted to steal a wig from Lee’s store. Lee reportedly chased and confronted the duo, which tragically led to his stabbing.
Lee, remembered by friends and family, had a history of confrontations with shoplifters, which sometimes escalated into physical altercations and injuries. Yet, he consistently took a stand against such crimes.
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
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