Sung Ho Jin: Michigan man sets himself on fire after stabbing woman to death and fleeing in her car

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

AKRON, OHIO: A Michigan man set himself on fire as the police moved to arrest him after he was suspected of fatally stabbing a 55-year-old woman.

On March 23, colleagues of Hee Jung Pak-Kim raised concerns after she did not come to the office for several days, leading authorities to conduct a welfare check. 

When conducting the welfare check inside her residence at the 2700 block of 10th Street in Wyandotte, officers discovered Pak-Kim deceased. 

Authorities suspect that 59-year-old Sung Ho Jin killed Pak-Kim before fleeing the scene in her vehicle, heading south, Fox2Detroit reported.

Cops located victim's vehicle in Ohio

According to a police report, Sung Ho Jin's vehicle and that of the victim were located in Akron, Ohio, by the Akron Police Department on Monday, March 25, 2024. 

The suspect engaged officers in a brief car chase before stopping the vehicle, exiting, brandishing a knife, and then re-entering the car, where he intentionally set himself on fire. 

While engulfed in flames, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle, at which point the fire was extinguished. 

Body-worn camera footage shows officers putting out the flames on the car's passenger seat before the suspect was transported to Akron Children’s Hospital for treatment of his burns.

Summit County Jail records indicate that Jin was booked on March 28 on charges of aggravated menacing, obstructing official business, and being a fugitive from justice. 

According to Wyandotte court records, Jin is facing multiple charges, including homicide, felony murder, and armed robbery. 

There is currently no information available on when Jin will be extradited to the Detroit area as per reports. The suspect remains in critical condition due to burns sustained to his face and body.

Suspect made romantic advances toward victim

Angela Hasse, a friend of Hee Jung Pak-Kim, recounted that the suspect persistently made romantic and sexual advances toward the victim, escalating in aggression each time she rejected him.

She said, "He's psychotic and he needs help. There's something wrong with him,"

Hasse had known Pak-Kim for 15 years since the victim, a former nail artist turned entrepreneur, opened her own sushi restaurant named SushiQ in Southgate.

The accused killer was employed as the head chef and knew the victim's husband. 

Hasse expressed admiration for Pak-Kim's generosity and said, "She's an amazing person, She would take care of her workers and give them a place to live if they didn't have a place to live. …She was just that kind of person, had that heart."

The victim provided the suspect with a car and allowed him to reside in her multi-family home in Wyandotte, where she also lived.

The victim's friend further stated, "He was making her feel uncomfortable. She didn't like to be around him by herself." 

Hasse and others had reportedly offered Pak-Kim an alternative accommodation to distance herself from Jin.

The motive behind Pak-Kim's remains unclear. With the victim's family residing in Korea, her friends in Michigan wish to honor her life rather than focus on her tragic death. 

Hasse emphasized, “I just want justice for her because she doesn't have anybody here to be her voice, so I feel like we need to be her voice for her as friends.”