Kurtistown Man, 79, Indicted on Murder Charge in Wife's 2024 Death
A 79-year-old Kurtistown man faces a second-degree murder charge after a Kona grand jury indicted him in his wife's 2024 death; bail is set at $1.5 million.
Jong Man Kim, 79, was indicted by a Kona grand jury in connection with the June 2024 death of his wife. The body of 71-year-old Yong Cha Kim was found lying on the kitchen floor of her Mountain View residence on June 20, 2024.
On March 24, Kim was arrested on a $1.5 million indictment warrant by Hawai'i Police Department officers with assistance from the U.S. Marshals. Kim made his initial appearance in Hilo Circuit Court on Wednesday and was charged with murder in the second degree.
Jong Man Kim reported finding his wife unresponsive on the floor of their home on the 16-1100 block of Uhini Ana Road in Mountain View on the afternoon of June 20. Responding officers observed that Yong Cha Kim had sustained several suspicious injuries, that items within the home appeared to be disturbed, and that several items were stolen. East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Division commander Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins said in 2024 that the Kims owned two separate farms with separate residences, and it wasn't uncommon for them to not be staying together in the same house.
Kim, originally from South Korea, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Yong Cha Kim, who is believed to have died sometime between June 18, 2024, and June 20, 2024. The charge alleges Kim intentionally or knowingly caused the death of another person, and it carries a penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
At his Wednesday appearance in Hilo Circuit Court, Kim entered a not guilty plea through Deputy Public Defender Megan Fellows, who requested Kim's bail be reduced or that he be freed on supervised release. After discussion with Kim through Korean language interpreter Jimmy Yoon, Fellows indicated he could probably afford a little less than $100,000. Deputy Prosecutor Jefferson Malate told the judge the state wants Kim to surrender his passport, noting that Kim had sold one of his two properties and was in the process of selling the second, and had been traveling back and forth to Korea. Judge Peter Kubota ordered Kim's passport turned over to authorities.
The court maintained Kim's bail at $1.5 million. Kim was ordered to appear for jury trial on Aug. 10, 2026.
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