Murder-Suicide Leaves Agencies Wishing They Could Have Done More

APD and AWAIC say they see the situation all too often

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By Alexis Fernandez

Story Created: Dec 2, 2011 at 8:08 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Dec 2, 2011 at 8:08 AM AKDT

A murder-suicide that left a woman and a man dead in their South Anchorage home has Anchorage police and domestic violence shelters wondering if more could have been done to prevent the tragedy from happening.

Police say before the bodies of 40-year-old Tae Won To and 33-year-old Yoo Jin Kim were found in their home, neighbors reported hearing noises from the couple’s home, according to a neighbor.

“People who have just moved here, if they get into this situation they often don’t know to call the police,” said Anchorage Police Department spokesmen, Lt. Dave Parker.

APD says Ro and Kim, who were both Korean, spoke very little English, which, they claim, could have prevented Kim from getting help.

Advocates from Abused Women's Aid In Crisis, or Awaic shelter say this is something they see all too often.

“There’s also the dynamic of family and culture that says your supposed to keep those things in the family, you don’t talk to outsiders,” said Suzi Pearson, executive director of Awaic.

Police say it's a difficult transition for families who come from diverse backgrounds.

“One of the things that we have seen in the past is the fact that in certain cultures, domestic violence is not considered a crime, here it is,” said Parker.

Every year, Awaic serves nearly a thousand people from across Anchorage, but only about five percent of those are non-English speakers. And advocates say this is not an accurate representation given our diverse community.

Awaic offers help to anyone who needs assistance, and has translators that speak more than fifty languages.

Local victims advocates say when it comes to speaking out - a person's language should not keep them silent.

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A. Jarw said on Saturday, Dec 3 at 3:09 AM

Many points to consider. Were they new to AK from Korea or another lower 48 state? Were they in a long or short term relationship? Was one or both cheating with someone else and got caught? Jealousy is a powerful force in domestic violence. What type of work did they do? Working together all day puts a lot of stress in a relationship. Again jealousy if other co-worker involved? If she was violent and caused him to "lose face" at home or in public that could send him over the edge. Losing face in an Asian culture is to bring disgrace to the family and name. A prime insult and one to avoid if in a confrontation with a person from an Asian background. After seeing what he had done, either remorse or extreme sadness and only way out in some cultures is to commit suicide. Remember WW 2 the Japanese would not want to be taken prisoner so they committed harikari. Condolences to family and friends of these two people.

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