Story by Ethan
On February 13th, 2026, the arraignment of Ho “Alex” Shin, age 43, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Ho Shin was charged with two counts of first-degree Assault, two counts of second-degree Murder, second-degree Attempted Murder, second-degree Assault, and two counts of fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The arrest and charges against Ho Shin were a result of investigations handled by Detective Steven Brown of the NYPD’s 109th Detective Squad, Detective Annamari Bernagozzi of the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad, and the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 4:30 a.m. on January 6th, 2002, Ho Shin alongside the victims, Hyun Dae Kim and Hyuk Suk Yu, and other friends went to one of their apartments following being out in the night previously. Sometime while at the apartment the defendant stepped outside to make a call to his accomplice, who was 16 years old at the time, and requested that he bring two knives to him. After an unspecified amount of time passed both Ho Shin and the co-defendant abruptly entered the apartment once more, each brandishing a knife. Allegedly the defendant began to stab Hyun Dae Kim several times over a supposed disrespectful act earlier in the night. When Hyuk Suk Yu attempted to intervene and restrict Ho Shin, she was then stabbed multiple times as well. Both defendants immediately fled from the scene after the incident, and both victims were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their wounds. Hyun Dae Kim would succumb to his wounds while Hyuk Suk Yu survived after receiving extensive medical care. Investigators assigned to handling the incident claim that after fleeing the scene, Ho Shin contacted unknown acquaintances in seek of assistance with fleeing from New York. However, the defendant was unable to be located despite the extensive search for him. On December 8th, 2025, Ho Shin was arrested in South Korea and was subsequently extradited back to New York for the charges against him surrounding the stabbing incident in 2002.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Ho Shin are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
