By Catherine Wilde
Staff Writer | Aug. 12 2008
Tenafly — Kang-Hyuk Choi, 33, who is accused of stabbing three family members to death in Tenafly, is being held on $5 million bail, the amount the prosecution requested and one Choi’s lawyer hopes to lower.
Choi appeared in state Superior Court Aug. 5 where Judge Harry G. Carroll set the bail amount.
"I was pleased the judge set a bail in the case because originally when the application was first made for bail the judge … held him with no bail," said Gerald Saluti, Choi’s lawyer. However, Saluti expected bail would be "more in the neighborhood of $3 million." He had requested $1 million for bail.
Saluti said he was at a disadvantage at the hearing because he did not have the discovery paperwork, since defense attorneys in New Jersey are not entitled to those findings until after an indictment is made, which has to be within 120 days after the arrest.
However, he plans to argue the facts of the case before Carroll within the next month once he has "digested" the rest of the information.
"I will go back … with more information about the case itself so I can argue the facts of the case more cogently," Saluti said.
Saluti wants to explore the facts surrounding Choi’s confession and "additional information regarding his family and things of that sort."
Choi is charged with stabbing his friend and former employer, 27-year-old Sean Kim, stuffing the body in a closet and waiting several hours to kill Kim’s mother, Yoo Bok Kim, 57, and 70-year-old Doo Soo Seo at their 169 Tenafly Road residence in May.
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Wayne Mello described it as a case of "three brutal murders" and said Choi fled the jurisdiction and was arrested in a California casino with $88,000 dollars in cash.
"He had all kinds of fraudulent ID with him and had obviously fled the jurisdiction," said Mello, calling it a case of "extreme importance."
Mello said if Choi is able to make bail a bail source hearing could be held to inquire into the legitimacy of the funds.
"That will be part and parcel of any bail reduction application," said Mello.
E-mail: wilde@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6706
