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Father Pleads Guilty to Burning His Children to Death
Dae Kwon Yun, 61, plead guilty today to the murders of his 11-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Yun doused his SUV with gasoline and set it ablaze with his children inside in the Downtown Los Angeles Garment District in April 2006. He was immediately sentenced to two life prison terms without the possibility of parole following the entry of his guilty plea, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Before the incident, Yun and his wife, Sun Ok Ma, had been experiencing marital problems and separated about two weeks before the fire. According to Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, Yun "will never get out of prison," reports City News Service.
Yun's attorneys have requested a mental health evaluation for their defendant along with placement in a special needs yard in prison, claiming their client is in a "very fragile," mental state.
One of Yun's attorneys, Casey Lilienfeld, says Yun's guilty plea was not meant to preserve his own life, but to spare family and friends a lengthy, heartbreaking trial process.