Defense Wraps Up Its Case in Twin Trial

SANTA ANA —  Twin sisters Sunny and Jeen Han, victim and defendant in a murder-conspiracy trial, broke down in tears Wednesday when their difficult childhood in Korea and the United States was discussed in court.

Sunny Han, 23, testified that it is the sister accused of plotting her murder to whom she has turned all of her life, especially when their mother abandoned them years ago and sent them to live with relatives.

Although she is a key prosecution witness in a case that could send her twin to prison for life, Sunny Han made it clear where her loyalties lie.

“Currently, I want to do everything I can to help her,” Sunny Han told the Orange County Superior Court jury. “It’s not up to me anymore, I have to testify because of the law.”

As the defense wrapped up its case Wednesday, attorneys for Jeen Han and her co-defendants aggressively questioned Sunny Han about her overdose of sleeping pills last week. They suggested that she had staged the incident in an attempt to garner more interest in the well-publicized trial and help her sell the story to movie producers.

Sunny Han said she had no recollection of appearing in court Nov. 4, outside the presence of the jury, dazed and unable to stand on her own. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she remained for three days.

A legal battle about whether her medical and psychological records could be accessed by the defense had delayed the trial, but on Wednesday the 4th District Court of Appeal refused to consider the matter. This cleared the way for Sunny Han to continue her testimony that had begun nine days earlier.

In an effort to introduce the episode to the jury, defense attorney Salvatore P. Ciulla’s first question was about her absence from the trial.

“I don’t remember anything that happened on Tuesday at all,” she responded. “All I remember is Monday night I took a lot of sleeping pills and found myself in the hospital.”

She testified that she took 24 to 27 sleeping pills because she had grown depressed testifying in a case that has dredged up painful memories.

“I was just emotionally extremely depressed,” she said.

Ciulla challenged her motives, asking if she was “trying to make as much money off this as you can.”

Sunny Han acknowledged that she had received $10,000 last January to appear on “Hard Copy” and that others have offered her between $50,000 and $300,000 for future deals, none of which has been finalized.

She also acknowledged that a family friend who has been acting as her media agent has heard from various shows since the overdose.

But she defended her decision to accept money.

“Regardless of the way I feel, people are interested in it. So what can I do about it?” she testified.

The twin grew emotional several times, especially when asked about the events of Nov. 6, 1996, when she and her roommate, Helen Kim, were tied up at gunpoint by two men who forced their way into their Irvine apartment.

“This is what’s hard,” she said tearfully. “I’ve tried to forget about the whole thing that happened. I’ve tried to forget about it for a year.”

The prosecution contends that the suspected gunmen, 17-year-old Archie Bryant and 16-year-old John Sayarath conspired with Jeen Han to murder Sunny Han, who had been feuding with her twin. The defense contends that the trio had gone to the apartment merely to retrieve Jeen Han’s belongs, which her sister had refused to return.

Sunny Han called police from a cellular telephone before she said Bryant entered her room with a gun. Her frantic 911 call in which she repeatedly whispered “Hurry! Hurry!” to a dispatcher was played for the jury.

She also testified Wednesday about the close but sometimes stormy--and violent--relationship with her sister in the months leading up to the incident. Both the prosecution and the defense rested their cases Wednesday. Attorneys for Bryant and Sayarath did not call any witnesses; Jeen Han’s attorney called only three. None of the defendants testified. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Deputy Public Defender Roger Alexander, who represents Jeen Han, said he does not believe a murder conspiracy has been proved by the prosecution, so he didn’t think it was in his client’s best interest to testify.

“Obviously, she wants to tell her side of the story, but it’s a legal decision,” Alexander said.

The jury will return Monday for closing arguments in the case.