*Updated on July 26, 2010 to reflect change in LA Times headline featured below in Update #3. Original LA Times headline described Dr. Munir Uwaydah as “person of interest.” Later, the LA Times changed that language to “subject of interest.”
JUDGE RAISES SUSPECT’S BAIL TO $3.5 MILLION
UPDATE #4 (10:24pm PST): The Santa Monica Daily Press has just published its online story on today’s developments
UPDATE #3: More *NEW* details in tonight’s LA Times online story:
Park had assisted Uwaydah in running a large medical insurance fraud scam that is currently under investigation and Uwaydah, “bragged to people that he had a ‘female James Bond’ that he could rely on to take care of business,” Jackson told the judge. --LA Times: Doctor a ‘person of interest’ in model’s slaying, prosecutor says Doctor is a ‘subject of interest’ in Santa Monica model’s slaying, prosecutor says (headline reflects change made to original headline at LA Times)
UPDATE #2: *NEW* details about Juliana Redding’s murder in tonight’s LA Times story:
“Redding’s battered body was discovered in her apartment after she failed to return phone calls from her family. She had been strangled so fiercely that a bone in her throat was crushed.
“The DNA extracted from blood and other bodily material found on Redding’s body and in the apartment was matched to Park’s genetic profile, Jackson said. He went on to accuse Park of a failed plot to destroy evidence of her involvement by blowing up the apartment, saying Park had turned on Redding’s gas stove and lighted a candle before leaving.” -LA Times: Doctor a ‘person of interest’ in model’s slaying, prosecutor says
UPDATE #1: 29-minutes after publishing the original post below, the Los Angeles Times blog, posted a story headlined, Doctor a ‘person of interest’ in model’s slaying, prosecutor says. The Times published the story at 5:48pm PST.
“The prosecutor in the case against a woman accused of killing an aspiring model in Santa Monica said on Tuesday that a physician with ties to both the defendant and the victim is a “person of interest” in the investigation and has fled the country.” -lead sentence in tonight’s LA Times story
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Here is this evening’s original post on Beyond90Seconds.com:
It wasn’t good news for murder suspect Kelly Soo Park in a Los Angeles courtoom today. But it could have been worse.
Prosecutors wanted Ms. Park’s bail raised from $1 million to $5 million. According to news reports now emerging from Los Angeles, Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz raised the suspect’s bail to $3.5 million.
According to investigators, Ms. Park murdered 21-year-old Juliana Redding in March of 2008. Police have asserted that the suspect has received several hundred thousand dollars from a doctor who had been a business partner of Ms. Redding’s father.
An article appearing late this afternoon in the LA Weekly blog addresses the money transactions this way:
“Park received $250,000 from her employer, Dr. Munir Uwaydah, three weeks before the murder, according to Santa Monica Det. Karen Thompson. Park’s own father received $113,400 before her arrest, according to court documents.” -LA Weekly
In late June, the Los Angeles Times reported that Dr. Uwaydah “was traveling outside the country and unreachable.” At this time, Beyond90Seconds.com is not aware of whether the doctor has returned to the U.S.
Beyond90Seconds.com has reported on the Juliana Redding murder for more than two years. The reporting here includes videos and numerous photographs. The complete archive can be viewed here.
Mark, you might want to keep an eye out for the LA Times’ corrections, since they are your primary source for information here.
Dr. Uwaydah is not classified as a “person of interest” by the Prosecutors office, but as a “Subject of Interest”.
Also, Why would you want to propagate innuendo and supposition?
Last I checked, “under investigation” meant that proper officials will check ing to see if there were any validity, and until charges are brought, it’s all fluff. Is there any corroboration to the claim of action Jackson that Park is linked with Dr. Uwaydah in an alleged medical impropriety?
Thank you for your comment, Mr. Whyte. The aim here is to be fair. I’ll look into what you’ve noted in your comment. I had noticed a correction in the LA Times story in late June and had noted it here promptly. Perhaps there have been other corrections. I’ll look into it.
Also, I have made repeated efforts to get Dr. Uwaydah’s side of this story. It remains my hope that this blog will have it soon.
Best,
Mark
Mr. Horner
You have done an excellent job of keeping the public informed on this matter.
“Subject/person” of interest is of no distinction to to the vast audience across the country that is interested in information that may lead to the capture of the cowards responsible for Ms. Redding’s death.
You have been more than fair in providing a forum for Mr. Uwaydah to explain his part, or lack thereof, in this grisly affair. Instead he chose to flee the country the day Ms. Park was arrested.
Because we are discussing this in a court of public opinion and not a court of law, we the reading public are not restrained in inferring Uwaydah’s consciousness of guilt which dwarfs the subtle distinctions that Mr. Whyte complains of in his message.
Keep up the good work.