Pierce County woman accused of fatally stabbing husband claims self-defense, charges say
A Parkland woman accused of murder for allegedly stabbing and killing her husband of eight years told detectives she acted in self-defense, according to court documents.
Youngmi Shin, 52, was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree domestic-violence murder in Pierce County Superior Court for the Nov. 27 death of a 62-year-old man. He has not been publicly identified.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Shin’s behalf at arraignment Monday afternoon. Commissioner Philip Thornton ordered her held in custody in lieu of $1 million bail.
Arguing for that amount of bail, deputy prosecuting attorney Dalton Smith said in court that Shin’s statements about what happened were inconsistent, but that her initial statement to law enforcement was that she stabbed her husband.
Smith said Shin has no prior criminal history. An attorney for the defendant was not listed in court records.
The victim was described in court documents as the owner and operator of an HVAC business. Shin reportedly told investigators she was a housewife who helped in the office of the business part time.
According to charging documents, Shin told Sheriff’s Department detectives through a Korean translator that after her husband got home from work, he asked her to buy a bottle of alcohol for him. She reportedly bought him a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey and gave it to her husband, who was doing additional work “in the shop” with two employees.
After the employees left, Shin said her husband asked her to come out to the shop, have a drink with him and sing for him. Shin drank two light beers, and prosecutors wrote in charging papers that the victim “almost drank the rest of the bottle of whiskey.”
At some point, Shin hid the keys to their cars, she told detectives. Records state Shin said she knew her husband sometimes drove when intoxicated. A short time later, she said her husband asked her to buy another bottle of whiskey. She refused and allegedly told him he needed to stop drinking because his family was going to be over the next day for Thanksgiving.
Shin told detectives her husband began to insult her mother and father, then demanded a set of keys and was trying to leave the house.
“She tried to block the doorway to stop the victim from driving, but he grabbed her by the hair and then punched her in the face,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “She fell to the floor and the victim walked outside.”
Shin then said she wanted her attorney before continuing the interview, records state. Detectives took a break, then continued the interview, and Shin reportedly claimed that the killing was in self-defense.
The defendant was arrested the night of Nov. 27. Charging papers state she knocked on a neighbor’s door at about 11:30 p.m. The neighbor told Sheriff’s Department deputies that the woman had blood on her hands. She told the neighbor her husband was dying and asked her to call the police.
Deputies were dispatched at 11:37 p.m. to the 10200 block of Ainsworth Avenue South. After talking to the 911 caller, they checked a nearby driveway and heard hysterical yells, according to court documents. Deputies found Shin holding the victim on the ground.
Shin was pulled off the man. While searching for an injury, Shin allegedly said she had been in an argument with her husband and had stabbed him in the back with a knife. She was then detained in the back of a patrol vehicle.
Deputies found a “very large” stab wound on the victim’s back, records state. Fire department personnel then arrived and declared him dead at the scene.
A house on the property and an outbuilding were cleared by deputies. There were signs of a struggle inside both buildings, records state. Items were broken and strewn across the floor, and there was blood spatter in both buildings.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 1:39 PM.
