Chol Soo Lee
Encyclopedia
Chol Soo Lee is a Korean American
immigrant who was wrongfully convicted for the 1973 killing of Yip Yee Tak, a San Francisco Chinatown
gang leader
and sentenced to life in prison. While in prison, he was sentenced to death
for the self-defense
killing of another prisoner. Chol Soo spent ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit, eight of those on death row
. Investigative reporting by K. W. Lee
sparked the formation of the Free Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee which spurred a national pan-Asian movement. Chol Soo finally won his freedom in 1983 through the help of the Free Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee.
in 1952 and immigrated to America in 1964. Not speaking English or having parents to guide him, he had a difficult life. He was arrested on June 7, 1973, and convicted of first-degree murder for killing Yip Yee Tak, who was gunned down in broad daylight on June 3, 1973. Lee was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Alerted by young Asian American supporters of Chol Soo Lee from San Francisco about his innocence, investigative reporter K. W. Lee from the Sacramento Union
, embarked on a six-month investigation in June 1977, into what became known as the "Alice in Chinatown Murder Case." On October 8, 1977, Lee killed Morrison Needham in a prison yard altercation. Lee, who claimed self-defense, was charged with murder with special circumstances, which calls for the death penalty.
The first of two articles by K.W. Lee appeared in the Sacramento Union on January 29, 1978. It questioned the verdict in the first case.
The continuing investigative series prompted a local drive to form the first Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee, organized by then law school graduate Jay Yoo and Davis school teacher Grace Kim in Sacramento, third generation Japanese American college student Ranko Yamada, and third-generation Korean Americans Gail Whang and Brenda Paik Sunoo in the Bay area. This led to a national coalition of Asian American activists, and Korean community groups and churches in February 1978.
On August 11, 1982, the retrial of the first case began, and on September 3, 1982, the San Francisco County Superior Court jury acquitted Lee of the murder of Yip Yee Tak, and its foreman joined the Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee. On January 14, 1983, California's 3rd District Court of Appeal nullified Chol Soo Lee's death sentence for the Needham stabbing, citing the Stockton trial judge's incorrect jury instructions, and for allowing hearsay testimony in the death penalty phase of the trial.
San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Peter Seires ordered Chol Soo Lee to be released on March 28, 1983, after Lee's supporters pledged property worth twice the amount of the $250,000 bail. However, the prosecution moved to retry Lee on the prison killing charge. Lee's co-counsels were able to plea bargain on the Needham case. Lee, who had served nearly ten years in prison, was given credit for time served and freed from prison.
Lee did not receive an apology or compensation from the state and currently lives in San Francisco.
In the midst of numerous speaking engagements, Lee now shares his story with Bay Area youth, stressing the importance of engaging with the Asian American community. He is also working on writing an autobiography and is taking college classes.
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
immigrant who was wrongfully convicted for the 1973 killing of Yip Yee Tak, a San Francisco Chinatown
Chinatown, San Francisco, California
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants to the United States and North America...
gang leader
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
and sentenced to life in prison. While in prison, he was sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
for the self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
killing of another prisoner. Chol Soo spent ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit, eight of those on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
. Investigative reporting by K. W. Lee
K. W. Lee
K. W. Lee is a Korean American journalist who became the first Asian immigrant to work for mainstream daily publications in the continental United States. Lee is also the founding president of the Korean American Journalists Association.-Biography:Lee was born in 1928 at Kaesong, North Korea and...
sparked the formation of the Free Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee which spurred a national pan-Asian movement. Chol Soo finally won his freedom in 1983 through the help of the Free Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee.
Background
Lee was born in Seoul, KoreaSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in 1952 and immigrated to America in 1964. Not speaking English or having parents to guide him, he had a difficult life. He was arrested on June 7, 1973, and convicted of first-degree murder for killing Yip Yee Tak, who was gunned down in broad daylight on June 3, 1973. Lee was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Alerted by young Asian American supporters of Chol Soo Lee from San Francisco about his innocence, investigative reporter K. W. Lee from the Sacramento Union
Sacramento Union
The Sacramento Union was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with The Sacramento Bee, which was founded in 1857, just six...
, embarked on a six-month investigation in June 1977, into what became known as the "Alice in Chinatown Murder Case." On October 8, 1977, Lee killed Morrison Needham in a prison yard altercation. Lee, who claimed self-defense, was charged with murder with special circumstances, which calls for the death penalty.
The first of two articles by K.W. Lee appeared in the Sacramento Union on January 29, 1978. It questioned the verdict in the first case.
The continuing investigative series prompted a local drive to form the first Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee, organized by then law school graduate Jay Yoo and Davis school teacher Grace Kim in Sacramento, third generation Japanese American college student Ranko Yamada, and third-generation Korean Americans Gail Whang and Brenda Paik Sunoo in the Bay area. This led to a national coalition of Asian American activists, and Korean community groups and churches in February 1978.
On August 11, 1982, the retrial of the first case began, and on September 3, 1982, the San Francisco County Superior Court jury acquitted Lee of the murder of Yip Yee Tak, and its foreman joined the Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee. On January 14, 1983, California's 3rd District Court of Appeal nullified Chol Soo Lee's death sentence for the Needham stabbing, citing the Stockton trial judge's incorrect jury instructions, and for allowing hearsay testimony in the death penalty phase of the trial.
San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Peter Seires ordered Chol Soo Lee to be released on March 28, 1983, after Lee's supporters pledged property worth twice the amount of the $250,000 bail. However, the prosecution moved to retry Lee on the prison killing charge. Lee's co-counsels were able to plea bargain on the Needham case. Lee, who had served nearly ten years in prison, was given credit for time served and freed from prison.
Lee did not receive an apology or compensation from the state and currently lives in San Francisco.
In the midst of numerous speaking engagements, Lee now shares his story with Bay Area youth, stressing the importance of engaging with the Asian American community. He is also working on writing an autobiography and is taking college classes.
External links
- What Price Justice? A commentary on the acquittal of Chol Soo Lee
- A story of wrongful conviction Interview with Chol Soo Lee by Alice Kim Sept 2006
- kwleecenter.org KW Lee Center
- The Story of Chol Soo Lee