How Could You? Hall of Shame-Taiwanese Adoptee Jonah Min Hwang case-Child Death UPDATED

By on 3-07-2017 in Abuse in adoption, California, How could you? Hall of Shame, International Adoption, Jonah Min Hwang, Taiwan

How Could You? Hall of Shame-Taiwanese Adoptee Jonah Min Hwang case-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Pomona, California, “Pomona police are asking for the public’s help to find the suspects involved in a drive-by shooting that left an 8-year-old boy dead.

The child was identified Tuesday as Jonah Min Hwang, of Pomona. Jonah’s family said the boy had been adopted from an orphanage in Taiwan less than three years ago.

During an early morning press conference, authorities said they had little information on the suspects and the vehicle that drove by the home in the …and opened fire.

“I can tell you that as a parent, as a longtime police officer in this community, this is right up there with some of the more senseless acts of violence that we see as police officers,” Lt. Eddie Vazquez said.

Around 6:36 p.m. Monday, the little boy and his family were sitting down to dinner with the homeowners when the shooting occurred, according to police.

Authorities said the child was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It was unclear how many times he was shot.

“The devastation that we feel from this loss is unfathomable,” the Hwang family said in part of a written statement. “Jonah was a light and joy in our household and we cannot imagine our family without him.”

Neighbors and police said the homeowners Jonah’s family were visiting had never caused any trouble in the community. Police also said the home had been shot at several weeks ago, but no one was inside the residence at the time.

 Anyone with more information about the shooting was urged to call the Pomona Police Department at (909) 620-2085. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jonah’s family with funeral expenses. If you’d like to learn how to donate, click here.”

8-year-old boy shot to death was adopted from Taiwan orphanage 3 years ago[ABC 7 2/22/17 by Sid Garcia]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “A man suspected of killing an 8-year-old boy in a drive-by shooting in Pomona has been charged with murder and could face the death penalty, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced this week.

Sengchan Houl was arrested Sunday in connection with the death of Jonah Hwang, who was fatally struck by gunfire while visiting a home with friends and family in Pomona on Feb. 20.

Houl, 35, was charged Tuesday with one count of murder, one count of shooting from a moving vehicle and four counts of shooting into an inhabited dwelling, prosecutors said. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned April 26.

If convicted, Houl faces life without parole or possibly the death penalty if prosecutors choose to seek it, officials said”

Man charged with murder in drive-by shooting death of Pomona boy

[LA Times 3/29/17 by Joseph Serna]

Update 2:“A series of witnesses were in court Thursday providing testimony in the preliminary of hearing for a 35-year-old man accused of carrying out a drive-by shooting that killed an 8-year-old Pomona boy earlier this year.

After hearing testimony from more than half a dozen witnesses, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Martinez found there was sufficient evidence to hold over alleged gunman Sengchan Houl for trial.

Houl, of unincorporated Pomona, is set to return to Pomona Superior Court for arraignment Nov. 17.

Among the witnesses was Nathan Robinson, a resident of the West 11th Street home where the fatal shooting occurred Feb. 20.

Robinson said his family and the family of the boy, Jonah Hwang, were at the home that evening. Jonah, Robinson’s daughter and another child were in the living room at the front of the house playing a game when Robinson and others in the house heard gunfire.

The shooting created commotion, and he called out to others in the house to get down on the floor, Robinson said. He and others also called out to the children to move toward the back of the house.

Robinson said he then went to the living room.

“Jonah was hunched over,” he said.

“I put my hand on his back,” Robinson said, emotion in his voice increasing. “I rolled him over.”

It was then that Robinson saw the blood on Jonah’s head.

Before the Feb. 20 shooting, the Robinsons’ house had been shot at Jan. 27.

Robinson said he and others noticed a hole in the lower part of the front door and reported it to police.

Houl is accused of carrying out three other shootings, in addition to the one that led to Jonah’s death. All of the shootings involved the same house on 11th Street.

The house was shot at on Jan. 27, March 7 and March 25, but on each occasion no one was at the residence, Pomona police said following Houl’s March 26 arrest.

Houl is being held without bail at Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. He has been charged with one count of murder, one count of shooting from a motor vehicle and four counts of shooting into an inhabited dwelling — all felonies.

The house was shot at again on March 7 and March 25, but by then, the Robinsons were not staying there.

Raymond Maciel, who lives a few doors down from the Robinsons, testified he was in his backyard cleaning up after his dog between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Jan. 27 when he heard three gunshots.

“I turned around and ducked at the same time,” he said.

When Maciel looked to see what happened, he saw a full-size, bluish-gray Toyota pickup with an extended cap drive east on 11th Street and turn on Hamilton Boulevard, and he immediately called police, he said.

On the morning of March 25, another shooting occurred, and Maciel contacted Pomona Police Det. Anthony Luna, who was the lead investigator on the boy’s shooting.

Luna said he got the call around 7:15 a.m. from Maciel telling him another drive-by had just taken place.

Luna said he immediately pulled out a laptop computer and looked for video footage captured by two cameras the department had posted on the street and was able to see the recording of a full-size Toyota Tundra pickup.

During the hearing, Adam MacDonald, a Pomona Police Department crime scene investigator, said he obtained security camera video taken on two different occasions from another resident of 11th Street.

A black and white video taken in the evening showed the silhouette of a pickup truck with damage, some sort of problem on the front passenger side and the same side headlight shining at a downward angle.

“You could see on the video here something is going on in the right front bumper,” MacDonald said, referring to an image of a truck from the video.

Video taken the morning of Jan. 25 showed a pickup with damage on the front corner of the passenger side that extended to the rear fender, he said.

During his testimony, Luna said he contacted Houl’s brother who said Houl was the person who generally used the truck.

Investigators developed information that led them to a trucking company in Mira Loma were Houl worked as a contracted employee.

A company official showed investigators video from various security cameras that showed a pickup truck with damage on the right side, a parking permit hanging from the rearview mirror and a temporary registration card on the lower right-hand corner of the front windshield — items spotted in the 11th Street security video. The video captured images of what many believed to be Houl entering the dispatch lobby of the company and video of him leaving where his face and clothing are seen.

Photographs were presented that showed a full-size Toyota pickup with damage to the right side, a parking pass on the rearview mirror and a white square where temporary registration slip would generally be found. The photographs were of the pickup Houl was driving and which was taken into evidence when he was arrested.

Also called to testify in the case was Phil Teramoto, a senior criminalist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department crime laboratory.

Teramoto analyzed bullets and casings collected at the Robinson residence after each shooting and found they matched a 9 mm Smith and Wesson pistol Houl had in his waistband at the time he was stopped by police March 26 as part of a felony traffic stop in the area of Phillips Boulevard and Ramona Avenue, an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County.

At the conclusion of the hearing, attorney Frank Bazadier, who represents Houl along with attorney Brian Hurwitz, said the team was only retained to represent Houl through the preliminary hearing.

They will determine sometime before the next court date if they will continue to represent Houl after speaking with his family, Bazadier said after the hearing.

Bazadier said his client “was never physically identified at the location” of the boy’s shooting. “Mr. Maciel says I saw a man,” but only saw part of a man’s face.

Maciel also wears glasses and has done so for most of his life, Bazadier said.

In addition, Teramoto is an expert in his field but his skill set is determined by his vision and like Maciel is older, he said.

Although police did not have a physical description of the man driving the pickup or a license plate number for the truck, Houl can be connected to the shootings and the boy’s death based on the ballistic evidence and the vehicle damage, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Lance Hansen said after the hearing.

The marks are such that they could not be changed, Hansen said.

So far no motive for the shooting has been identified, Hansen said.

Police continue to investigate the case.

Karen Hwang, Jonah’s mother, and some members of the church his family attends were present at the hearing. Most wore buttons with the boy’s picture on it. A few including his mother wore superhero t-shirts. Jonah had a particular interest in superheroes.”

Judge orders Pomona man held for trial in shooting death of 8-year-old boy

[Daily Bulletin 11/2/17 by Monica Rodriguez]

 

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