‘Robbery was motive in triple homicide’

Investigators believe that robbery was the motive behind the triple homicide that happened last week in San Antonio.

This developed as the Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigation Bureau identified yesterday the three stabbing victims as Hee Soo Kim, 63; Yeon Young Mi, 32; and Lee Eun Jeong, 32. The three were Koreans.

Kim owned a bookstore and was the father-in-law of Mi. Mi was the manager of Memo Fashion located on the ground floor of Afetna Building in San Antonio.

Jeong was a tourist and a visitor of Mi. She arrived on Saipan on Feb. 10, 2006 and was scheduled to leave on Feb. 17, 2006, police said.

Police identified the suspect as Nan Guang Xi, 32, a Chinese.

CIB chief Maj. Edward H. Manalili said investigation showed that victim Mi had collected money from the establishments that she was managing on the night prior to the killing.

Manalili said investigators recovered the empty money bag at the crime scene next to victim Mi.

Manalili said further investigation showed that suspect Xi had a large amount of cash on his body and that there was indication that the money had come from Mi. He declined to elaborate on what that indication was.

The CIB chief said Xi had been on Saipan since 1996 and was employed at the Neo Fashion Garment Factory until it shut down operations in 2005.

“The suspect may have been looking for employment, weeks prior to the homicide,” he said.

Manalili said investigators believe the suspect was having financial difficulty and was seeking assistance to return back to China.

“Witnesses indicated that the suspect was depressed and distressed [in the] days leading [up] to the homicide,” the major said.

Based on the autopsy conducted on Saturday, Manalili said all three victims sustained multiple stab wounds. In addition, he said, Kim also suffered multiple trauma to the head.

Manalili said the suspect sustained a single gunshot wound in the abdomen.

Police said the suspect fatally stabbed the three victims. The suspect later died after responding Police Officer Victor Val Hocog shot him. Hocog sustained a stab wound and a laceration to the elbow and rib area when the suspect attacked him.

The bloody incident occurred at a one-story house located behind Seventh-Day Adventist School on Feb. 15. The incident is considered the first triple homicide in the CNMI.