Man charged with stabbing his mom in first murder case of 2010

Neighbors have little to say, other than the allegedly murdered elderly woman was quiet and kept to herself. Find out what we learned about this crime …

It would be easy to miss this small house, tucked away behind the trees. But within it, police say they discovered an elderly woman who would become Portland’s first murder victim this year.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
9-1-1 operators got the kind of telephone call they dread the most about 4:30 a.m. on January 15 – a man allegedly confessing to stabbing his elderly mother.

Portland Police Bureau East Precinct officers rushed to a small, blue clapboard home, nearly hidden behind a towering fir, SE Lincoln Street, between SE 117th and SE 118th Avenues – just a couple of blocks south of Mill Park Elementary School.

The police “Mobile Precinct” provides a workspace for Homicide Detectives who work the case.

Officers stand guard, as Homicide Detectives gather evidence inside the home.

“In about five minutes, our street (SE Lincoln) was jammed with all kinds of cop cars,” said a neighbor in the next block, who declined to identify himself. “They had lights shining on the house, and were hollering at someone to show their hands, and then get down on the ground. An ambulance came, and took someone away.”

“54-year-old Jong Kyun Koh was arrested,” stated police spokesman Sergeant Greg Stewart later in the day. “The victim has been identified as 78-year-old female, Ran Hee Koh. The man arrested has been identified as the victim’s son.”

A police affidavit, quoted by a press report, alleges that Koh told officers “he was angry with his mother, and grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her more than once.”

Although the victim was rushed to OHSU, she died shortly after she arrived, officials report.

Police accuse this man, Jong Kyun Koh, of murder – the first homicide of the year in Portland.

According to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office records, Jong Kyun Koh is being held with bail on a count of Murder, a Class A felony, and one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon – a Class C felony. The case will be submitted to the Grand Jury.

Comments are closed.