By Nathan Duke
Police said they were still investigating an apparent murder−suicide which claimed the lives of a 64−year−old Korean man and his wife inside their home in the exclusive Baybridge Condominiums in Bayside.
Yoon Kim, 64, was discovered hanging in the second floor stairwell of his home on Michael Court Sunday afternoon, a law enforcement source said. His wife, Nyung Kim, 57, had been stabbed to death in the second−floor hallway of the home near the bedroom, the source said.
Yoon Kim is believed to have fixed himself something to eat and watched television before taking his own life, the source said.
Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, police said.
A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said she was shocked to hear of the couple’s death.
“I didn’t know these people, but it’s hard to believe,” said the woman, who lived near the Kims. “I’m horrified.”
The couple’s death is the second incident this year to shock Baybridge’s quiet gated community, the neighbor said. The condominium was rocked by a three−alarm fire in late January that left two families without homes.
The couple’s 29−year−old son, who could not be reached for comment, discovered the bodies, the law enforcement source said. Investigators had not determined the motive for the apparent murder−suicide, the source said.
A spokeswoman for the city’s medical examiner said that Yoon Kim’s death had been ruled as a hanging suicide, while Nyung Kim had died from sharp injuries to her neck and torso. Her death had been classified as a homicide, the spokeswoman said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Bayside’s 111th Precinct has only reported two murders in the past five years, including a 2007 homicide and Kim’s death, according to police statistics. Last year the precinct reported no homicides.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
