The mental health status hearing for a Virginia man accused of fatally stabbing a South Korean visitor at a rural religious retreat last summer is set for Monday (Jan. 4) in Frederick County, Md. Song Su Kim, 30, of Falls Church, Va., is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 63-year-old Chung Hwan Park of Suwon, South Korea, and attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of Park's wife, Ae Suk Ko.
The stabbing happened at a Christian complex called the Anna Prayer Mountain Church Retreat Center in the Maryland city of Urbana, about 40 miles away from Washington, D.C. Kim is a Korean-American.
A judge in Maryland will get an update on the mental health of Kim during Monday afternoon, reports Associated Press.
The court ordered a mental health evaluation in September after Kim entered a plea of not criminally responsible. The examination could determine whether Kim had a mental disorder that made him unable to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or act within the requirements of the law, according to CBS Baltimore.
As reported by The Gospel Herald on July 29, 2015, Kim was deemed a homeless man who attacked the Parks, who were partial operators of a Christian counseling center in rural Maryland.
"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.' He allegedly said Park had treated him badly that day," reported Associated Press at the time of the attack.
Police stated Kim was dropped off at the center by his mother in northern Virginia five days before the attack.
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins stated during a news conference regarding the attack that the stabbing victims were missionaries from South Korea.
Deputy State's Attorney Nanci Hamm told CBS News that Park was stabbed 13 times, while his wife was stabbed four times. Both worked as volunteer cooks at the center.
According to Hamm, Kim's prior arrest record in Virginia included a 2012 assault on a family member. "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. Many of the charges were ultimately dismissed," CBS News reported.
