Domestic Violence Story

You are a reporter for Irvin" rel="nofollow">ine Today, a local onlin" rel="nofollow">ine news publication. Just after 8 a.m. today, you received the followin" rel="nofollow">ing statement by e-mail from the Irvin" rel="nofollow">ine Police Department. STATEMENT FROM THE IRVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT TODAY’S DATE At approximately 11:30 p.m. last night, we received a telephone call from a person who identified herself as Sandra Kim. She sounded quite distressed in" rel="nofollow">in in" rel="nofollow">informin" rel="nofollow">ing us that she had just arrived home a few min" rel="nofollow">inutes earlier to fin" rel="nofollow">ind her husband, Robert Kim, dead on the floor of the family’s Irvin" rel="nofollow">ine home. We responded along with paramedics and arrived at the home in" rel="nofollow">in the 600 block of Birch Street in" rel="nofollow">in Irvin" rel="nofollow">ine. Our officers, upon enterin" rel="nofollow">ing the kitchen, observed the body of an Asian man on the floor. He had been shotseveral times. It was determin" rel="nofollow">ined he was deceased, the apparent victim of multiple gunshot wounds. He has sin" rel="nofollow">ince been identified as Robert Kim, 47, a resident of the home. Sandra Kim, 42, was at the residence and confirmed she had placed the call. In in" rel="nofollow">initial questionin" rel="nofollow">ing, Mrs. Kim told officers she sought to revive her husband before placin" rel="nofollow">ing her 911 call. Officers noted objects strewn in" rel="nofollow">in the kitchen, signs of an apparent struggle. They also observed a large contusion on Mrs. Kim’s right check. She said it was the result of a recent bikin" rel="nofollow">ing accident. In response to officers’ questions regardin" rel="nofollow">ing who might have killed Mr. Kim, Mrs. Kim replied he had many enemies, due to what she called his unethical busin" rel="nofollow">iness dealin" rel="nofollow">ings and unpaid debts. Further, she asserted, it was likely one or more of Mr. Kim’s enemies committed the murder, as two of them had threatened to harm him in" rel="nofollow">in the last few weeks. Just before arrivin" rel="nofollow">ing home, Mrs. Kim said, she had been workin" rel="nofollow">ing at the accountin" rel="nofollow">ing office she owns and operates. She also said she had run a few errands. However, officers determin" rel="nofollow">ined that there were in" rel="nofollow">inconsistencies in" rel="nofollow">in accounts of her whereabouts between 7 pm and her reported arrival home at 11:20 pm. She became visibly nervous and agitated as the police in" rel="nofollow">interview contin" rel="nofollow">inued, especially as detectives focused on her activities before the emergency call. Officers surveyin" rel="nofollow">ing the crime scene noted there were no signs of forced entry, suggestin" rel="nofollow">ing that the killer had easy access to the home or was allowed in" rel="nofollow">in. Meanwhile, a search of the premises turned up a.38 caliber handgun. It was wrapped in" rel="nofollow">in a cloth and in" rel="nofollow">inside a trash receptacle in" rel="nofollow">in a corner of the backyard. Mrs. Kim was questioned about the weapon, and she admitted her earlier account was in" rel="nofollow">inaccurate. Reportedly, what actually happened is that she and a few friends decided to go out for drin" rel="nofollow">inks at about 7 p.m. last night. Mrs. Kim said she did not in" rel="nofollow">inform her husband of her outin" rel="nofollow">ing, as he would not have approved. The couple had been undergoin" rel="nofollow">ing severe marital difficulties, she said, mostly due to his verbally and physically abusive nature. Sin" rel="nofollow">ince movin" rel="nofollow">ing from Korea to Irvin" rel="nofollow">ine some five years earlier, Mr. Kim had become extremely jealous and controllin" rel="nofollow">ing, she claimed. This problem, accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to her, recently had become more serious, with Mr. Kim strikin" rel="nofollow">ing her at least three times in" rel="nofollow">in the past six months. Our department has no record of such in" rel="nofollow">incidents, and Mrs. Kim added that she chose not to report them in" rel="nofollow">in the hope relations could be repaired through marriage counselin" rel="nofollow">ing. Accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to Mrs. Kim, the couple has never attended counselin" rel="nofollow">ing sessions. As soon as Mrs. Kim arrived home, she told officers, Mr. Kim angrily confronted her about her outin" rel="nofollow">ing. He became extremely agitated, grabbed her by the throat and struck her once with his fist, leavin" rel="nofollow">ing the facial contusion observed. Breakin" rel="nofollow">ing free, Mrs. Kim allegedly retreated to a bathroom where she had hidden a handgun in" rel="nofollow">in the event she needed to defend herself from Mr. Kim. Mrs. Kim said she returned to the kitchen where she had been arguin" rel="nofollow">ing with her husband. Accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to her, Mrs. Kim brandished the weapon and warned Mr. Kim that she would not hesitate to shoot him should he attempt to assault her again" rel="nofollow">in. Additionally, she in" rel="nofollow">informed him she would seek a divorce immediately. Enraged, Mr. Kim lunged at her, Mrs. Kim asserted. While she had the opportunity to flee, Mrs. Kim told officers, she thought the best course of action was to shoot her husband. At that poin" rel="nofollow">int, she fired the pistol, strikin" rel="nofollow">ing Mr. Kim numerous times. This attack was necessary, she asserted, to protect herself from grave bodily harm or death. Investigatin" rel="nofollow">ing officers determin" rel="nofollow">ined that based on the available evidence, Mrs. Kim should be arrested on suspicion of murder. Officers carried out the arrest withoutin" rel="nofollow">incident. She is in" rel="nofollow">in Orange County Jail and is expected to attend a prelimin" rel="nofollow">inary hearin" rel="nofollow">ing this afternoon. The couple’s children, ages eight and ten, were asleep upstairs. They were unharmed. The children are in" rel="nofollow">in the custody of Children’s Protective Services pendin" rel="nofollow">ing placement with relatives today or tomorrow. Just as you are startin" rel="nofollow">ing to write your story, you receive a phone call from Laura Figueroa, who identifies herself as Mrs. Kim’s attorney. She says at the outset that she will make a short statement and not take questions for now. Here is her statement: “Mrs. Kim is a classic victim of battered women’s syndrome. The action she took in" rel="nofollow">in defendin" rel="nofollow">ing herself from her husband’s brutal and potentially fatal assault last night will form the basis of our defense again" rel="nofollow">inst the unjust murder charge.” She then ends the call. You can fin" rel="nofollow">ind in" rel="nofollow">information on battered women’s syndrome here: http://family.fin" rel="nofollow">indlaw.com/domestic-violence/battered-women-s-syndrome.html Your assignment is to write a story of between 400 and 425 words based main" rel="nofollow">inly on the statement. Mrs. Kim’s lawyer’s statement is far shorter, but it needs to should not be buried in" rel="nofollow">in the story. carefully attribute the in" rel="nofollow">initial statement to the police, and keep in" rel="nofollow">in min" rel="nofollow">ind that muchof what is reported are allegations. Some of what the police reported can be taken as fact, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing the death and its apparent cause. Other in" rel="nofollow">information is at this poin" rel="nofollow">int the police version of what happened. That does not mean it is not true, just that it must be properly attributed. Your lead ought to summarize the key facts, such as the alleged murder and arrest, but not in" rel="nofollow">include names or estimated times. Those kin" rel="nofollow">inds of details are best wrapped in" rel="nofollow">into the body of the story. Ask yourself where do lawyer Figueroa’s comments best fit. Fin" rel="nofollow">inally, carefully determin" rel="nofollow">ine the best order of facts beyond the lead. As is typical, the police have not organized facts in" rel="nofollow">in order of importance.