By Kathianne Boniello
Tae Yoon, 19, of 146-25 Georgia Rd. in Flushing and Samuel Chung, 18, of 200-06 Cross Island Parkway in Bay Terrace, were slated to be sentenced for the killing of Korean immigrant Hyong Kyu Kim on Jan. 31, the DA's office said in a statement last week.
The DA's office said Yoon and Chung pleaded guilty to second- degree murder charges before State Supreme Court Justice Robert Hanophy for fatally shooting Kim. Yoon faces a sentence of 19 years to life in prison and Chung could draw a term of 15 years to life in jail.
Eric Chi, 18, of 57-27 228th St. in Bayside pleaded guilty to murder charges earlier and was awaiting his sentencing later this month. Chi could face a term of eight to 16 years in prison for his part in the murder, according to the DA.
Kim, 42, had lived in Flushing for about 10 years and worked the night shift as a livery cab driver for ABC Taxi in Flushing for a week before his death at the dead end of 47th Avenue near 206th Street in Bayside.
Yoon, Chung, Chi and others were playing pool during the early morning hours of June 17, 1998, when they decided to rob a cab driver, the DA's office said.
“This was the brutal and senseless slaying of a hardworking livery cab driver,” DA Brown said in a statement.
Yoon called ABC Taxi for a cab, the DA's office said, while Chung, Chi and others who were never caught waited at 204-41 47th Ave. for the cab to arrive.
Brown said “the evidence showed that the defendants and others lured Mr. Kim to a deadend street in Bayside, where it was planned, they would rob him
“When Yoon, driven by Mr. Kim, arrived at the 47th Avenue location,” Brown said, “Yoon pulled out a gun and shot Mr. Kim during the robbery.”
