Operators of a Christian counseling center in rural Maryland have been left heartbroken by a double stabbing attack that left one man dead. The victim has been identified as 62-year-old Chung Hwan Park of South Korea.
According to David Dishneau of the Associated Press, Peter Chang, a board member of Anna Prayer Counseling Inc., noted that the center should be more cautious in welcoming people with possible mental health issues. The stabbing happened in the Maryland city of Urbana, about 40 miles away from Washington.
"We'll just have to be more careful and police those who have mental health problems," Chang said, adding that he was speaking only for himself and not the board. "If there's any indication of mental health problems, we just have to be very cautious."
The Associated Press reported that Park's wife, 57-year-old Ae Suk Ko, is recovering from stab wounds obtained while defending her husband. Police identified the alleged stabber as 30-year-old Song Su Kim, a Korean-American who was staying at the center.
"Police said Kim told investigators he attacked Park with a kitchen knife because he was tired of being treated badly by 'all Koreans,' and wanted to 'invade a Korean,'" Dishneau wrote. "He allegedly said Park had treated him badly that day."
According to the Associated Press, Kim is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses.
"Police say Kim had been brought to the center by his mother in northern Virginia five days before the attack," Dishneau said. "Assistant Public Defender Elizabeth Stein said in a court hearing Monday that Kim is homeless."
According to Crimesider staff at CBS News, police responded Sunday night to a 911 call reporting the stabbing at a Christian complex called the Anna Prayer Mountain Church Retreat Center. Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told a news conference that the stabbing victims were missionaries from South Korea.
"At a hearing Monday afternoon, Kim was ordered held without bail. He appeared in court in handcuffs and leg irons," CBS News wrote.
Deputy State's Attorney Nanci Hamm told CBS News that Park was stabbed 13 times, while his wife was stabbed 4 times. Both worked as volunteer cooks at the center.
"Kim had called 911 Saturday to complain about the food at the center," CBS News reported, citing Jenkins.
Hamm cited Kim's arrest record in Virginia, most recently for a 2012 assault on a family member. CBS News cited court records indicating that Kim was born in "Korea," but Jenkins contended that he was a U.S. citizen.
"Court records list a variety of misdemeanor charges against Kim in the past 10 years in northern Virginia, including assault, drunken driving and possession of marijuana," CBS News wrote. "Many of the charges were ultimately dismissed."
According to CBS News, this was the third deadly incident involving homeless people visiting Maryland church properties since 2012.
"Two women, including the co-rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, were shot to death in 2012 by a food bank client who then fatally shot himself," CBS News wrote. "In 2013, a homeless man started a fire that killed both himself and the pastor of St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal Church in Ocean City, when he ran inside the church's food bank on fire."
