Soon Ja Du was a Korean woman who co-owned the Empire Liquor Store in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles. On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du shot and killed 15-year-old African-American girl Latasha Harlins in her convenience store.
Wiki/Biography
Sunja Doo was born on Saturday, December 27, 1941 (79 years old in 2020) in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Sunja Doo and her family moved to Los Angeles in 1976 when she was 35 years old. She graduated from a university in Seoul, South Korea, majoring in literature.
Family and Race
Sunja-doo believes in Christianity. Sunja-doo and her husband joined the Valley Korean Central Presbyterian Church in the North Hills of Los Angeles, and even served as a deacon and deaconess there.
Parents and siblings
Her father is a doctor and her mother is a nurse.
Relationships, husbands and children
On Monday, December 15, 1958, Doo Soon-ja married Doo Billy Hing-kee. They had three children, two sons, Joseph and Michelle, and a daughter, Sandy, who in 1991 became a theology student at Biola University.
Soon Ja Du and her husband Billy Heung Ki Du
Profession
Doo Sun-ja started out as a sofa assembler and later became a crocheter at clothing factory St. John Knits. In 1981, Doo Sun-ja and her husband, Do Bi-li Heung-ki, bought Empire Liquor Store, a convenience store in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
Latasha Harlins murder
On the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991, Doo Soon-ja shot and killed 15-year-old African American girl Latasha Harlins at the Empire Liquor Store in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles. Doo Soon-ja reportedly said that she saw Harlins put a bottle of orange juice into her backpack and asked Harlins if she was going to pay for it. Harlins replied, “What orange juice?” So Doo Soon-ja grabbed Harlins’ sweater, accused her of stealing, and took her backpack. Harlins responded by punching Doo Soon-ja twice, knocking her to the ground. Harlins then backed away, but Doo Soon-ja angrily threw a stool at her, but missed. Harlins then picked up the orange juice bottle that fell in the chaos, but Doo Soon-ja snatched the bottle from her. Harlins then turned around and tried to leave, but Doo Soon-ja took out a revolver from under the cash register and shot Harlins in the back of the head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiw6Q9-lfXc
Two witnesses disputed Dou’s account, saying she never asked Harlins if she intended to pay for the orange juice and instead called her a “bitch.” After reviewing store surveillance video, police concluded that Harlins had money in her hand, so she intended to pay for the drink.
Trial and sentencing
Soon-Ja Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that she fired the gun in self-defense because she believed her life was in danger. Du’s testimony contradicted the testimony of two eyewitnesses and the video recovered from the store’s security camera. The video only showed Du shooting Harlins as she tried to leave the store empty-handed. On November 15, 1991, a jury found Du guilty and declared that Du had fired the gun intentionally. Because Du was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury recommended a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison for the crime. However, trial judge Joyce Carlin did not approve the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Du to five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. The court said that Du committed the crime in a state of extreme anger and that her past experience with robberies impaired her ability to act rationally in the situation. In July 1992, after the Los Angeles riots, the Harlins family received a $300,000 settlement.
Joyce Carlin – trial judge in Du v. Harlins
Facts/Trivia
- Du’s store was looted and burned during the 1992 Los Angeles riots and never reopened. The property later became a market under different owners.
Shunzidu Empire Liquor Store
- The Los Angeles Police Department’s ballistics report also stated that the pistol used by Du was modified so that the pressure required to pull the trigger to shoot was much less than that of an ordinary pistol.
- Joyce Karlin disagreed with the jury’s recommendation of 16 years in prison, but she said
Was Ms. Du’s reaction inappropriate? Of course. But was it understandable? I think it was.” Carlin added, “Now is not the time for revenge… Whatever the sentence the court imposes, Ms. Du will be punished every day for the rest of her life.”
- In 2020, Netflix released a documentary titled A Love Song for Latasha commemorating the life of Latasha Harlins.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education