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[apprehensive music]
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* *
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- Jennifer's a young mother.
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00:00:09,426 --> 00:00:11,594
She's fairly new
to the country.
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00:00:11,636 --> 00:00:13,304
I'm sure there were
some mornings she woke up
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and thought to herself,
you know,
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"This is what the American
dream looks like."
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That's when her life
changes forever.
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[suspenseful music]
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00:00:20,812 --> 00:00:23,106
- You could tell that
she had been stabbed
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00:00:23,148 --> 00:00:25,900
and had died some time ago.
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00:00:25,942 --> 00:00:27,819
- This is passion,
this is the anger,
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this is the fury of someone
personally involved.
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- The bite mark was discovered
during the autopsy,
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00:00:35,118 --> 00:00:38,830
and they were able to actually
recover some DNA evidence.
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- They have him all wired
to the polygraph.
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They are watching the results.
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They want to know,
is this guy lying?
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- This was a very,
very big case.
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00:00:47,297 --> 00:00:48,798
People living in Taiwan,
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people living in China
all knew about it.
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- I can remember her
running out
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and screaming in agony.
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[woman screams]
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- You couldn't really get
a good read
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on what the jury was thinking
at the time.
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Stabbing is such a personal
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00:01:03,438 --> 00:01:06,649
and intense way
of killing someone.
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- Here's a strong woman.
Here's a victim.
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Here's somebody who was trying
to protect her family.
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- The jury cried
when they returned the verdict.
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[woman wailing]
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[suspenseful music]
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* *
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[melancholy piano music]
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* *
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- Orange County
is a place that has
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a lot of promise to it.
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There's a lot of people living
a very affluent lifestyle.
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And there's a lot of people
there looking
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for that lifestyle.
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This is what
the American dream looks like.
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[child giggles]
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- Orange County is exciting.
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A lot of activities regardless
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if you want to be outdoors
or indoors.
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You've got theater.
You've got restaurants.
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There's just a ton of stuff
here in this county to do.
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- And there are a lot of
immigrants from Asian nations.
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- Orange County has a very
significant Asian population.
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They brought money here.
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In addition, they brought
the language, the culture.
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narrator: The irresistible
draw of the sun-kissed hills
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qof Mission Viejo, California,
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attracts people from around
the world in droves.
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- Mission Viejo was a beacon
to people all over the world.
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And that beacon said,
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"This is what California
looks like."
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The residents of Mission Viejo
were accustomed
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to a lot of different things.
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One thing they were not
accustomed to
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was seeing a body bag
of one of their neighbors
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carried off toward
the coroner's truck.
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* *
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[ominous music]
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- My name is Steve Shandrick.
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In 1993, I was with the Orange
County Sheriff's Department.
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I was assigned to south patrol
as a patrol deputy.
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We got a call originally.
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The call was of a man,
hysterical.
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There was a little bit
of a language barrier,
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but he was reporting
that someone had been killed
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in the apartment.
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And that's really all that
we had to go on at the time.
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So we responded
to the apartments.
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As we were en route, you know,
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a lot of stuff
goes through your head.
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We need to start coming up
with a game plan.
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How are we going to approach
this situation?
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When myself
and the Mission Viejo deputy
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started making our approach
on foot,
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and the man was at the top of
the stairs, obviously frantic.
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You couldn't really
understand him.
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And he kept pointing
inside the apartment.
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As you walked up the stairs,
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there was a door to the left,
and it was open.
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He was pointing inside saying,
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"They're dead. They're dead."
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He'd been crying.
His eyes were red.
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00:04:05,161 --> 00:04:06,538
And it's like, okay, well,
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00:04:06,579 --> 00:04:08,081
something obviously has gone on
in this apartment.
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We need to get up there now.
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Myself and the other deputy
that I arrived with,
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we made our way up the stair.
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That's when we decided
we're gonna make entry.
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Because the apartment door
was open,
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as we got to the top
of the stairway,
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we could actually look inside,
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and we saw a female
slumped over between the couch
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and the coffee table
in the living room.
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That point we notified dispatch
that we're making entry.
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We have one female down.
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You could tell that
she had been stabbed
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and had died some time ago.
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* *
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The last room that I had
to clear was a child's room.
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I could see the baby
laying on his back,
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partly covered by a blanket.
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The child was suffocated,
and it's just hard
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to get that image
out of your head.
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I don't know of any officer
or deputy
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that, you know,
it doesn't affect them
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when they see a child
injured or killed.
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I mean, this is something
that you can't unsee.
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And I think what made it hard
at the time for me also
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is that I had a child,
you know, not much older.
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That really affects you
to a certain degree.
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At the time,
as we were in there,
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I still had no idea
who the gentleman was
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that we had taken off
the stairwell.
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Later on is when I actually
found out
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his name was Jim Peng.
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narrator: Taiwanese
telecommunications mogul
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Jim Peng tells police
that he had recently
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00:05:44,052 --> 00:05:47,597
relocated his girlfriend
Jennifer Ji stateside
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so that she and their son
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could be afforded
the opportunity
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00:05:50,684 --> 00:05:52,811
to live without the stigma
that accompanies
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unwed mothers
in her native China.
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- My name is Geoff Boucher.
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In 1993, I was covering crime
in Orange County, California.
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00:06:01,277 --> 00:06:04,447
Jim Peng is in the
telecommunications industry.
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00:06:04,489 --> 00:06:06,866
He's a very successful
businessman.
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00:06:06,908 --> 00:06:09,327
He's from Taiwan.
He's in his fifties.
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He's doing very, very well.
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I mean, his value at one point,
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upwards of $200 million.
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Jennifer is 25.
She's from Qingdao, China.
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She'd grown up in a coastal
Chinese city.
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She was one of three children.
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She had been university
trained.
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She was ambitious.
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She's living
in this apartment complex
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with the tennis courts
and the pool
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and really nice landscaping,
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and it's very different
than the life
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she's accustomed to.
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This is a new world for her.
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She's looking for a new life
in a new place,
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00:06:42,610 --> 00:06:44,571
and she's here
in Orange County, California,
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00:06:44,612 --> 00:06:48,450
surrounded by really
the sun-dappled affluence
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and comfort
of the upper class.
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And she finds herself
probably dreaming a lot
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about the life
that her son's going to live.
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When she looks down on him
and sees him in the crib,
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she's probably thinking about
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00:07:01,796 --> 00:07:04,090
what California
is going to do for him,
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00:07:04,132 --> 00:07:07,635
what Orange County
is going to do for him.
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00:07:07,677 --> 00:07:09,679
The bills are being paid
by her lover
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00:07:09,721 --> 00:07:11,348
and the father of her child.
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And that's Jim Peng.
He's a very wealthy guy.
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It must've been startling
for her some mornings
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when she woke up and realized
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how close she was
to the American dream.
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narrator: But that dream
has been shattered
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less than one year
after Jennifer
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00:07:24,569 --> 00:07:26,571
arrived in Mission Viejo.
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And the way she was killed
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tells police a lot
about the killer.
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- Stabbing is such a personal
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00:07:33,661 --> 00:07:36,956
and intense way
of killing someone.
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You're within arm's distance,
you're feeling the knife,
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you know,
as someone's stabbing them.
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You know, there had to have
been crying out in pain.
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There had to have been
some kind of a struggle.
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00:07:49,678 --> 00:07:52,681
There was a lot
of anger involved.
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- When police find
a crime scene like this,
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there's a couple
of general determinations
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they try to make.
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One is if this is
a crime of property
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00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:03,858
or if this is
a crime of passion
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00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,027
or if this is something else.
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00:08:06,069 --> 00:08:07,946
- Just by looking around,
it didn't look like
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00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:09,406
there was any robbery
involved.
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00:08:09,447 --> 00:08:11,700
Didn't look like there was
any kind of ransacking
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00:08:11,741 --> 00:08:13,284
of the apartment.
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00:08:13,326 --> 00:08:16,955
So in my mind, I'm thinking,
"Okay, well,
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the suspect's probably someone
that she let in."
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It means that the victim
knew the killer.
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00:08:23,128 --> 00:08:25,547
[dramatic music]
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- Who did she know?
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00:08:26,923 --> 00:08:29,843
It's a woman who knew
very few people
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00:08:29,884 --> 00:08:32,470
in Orange County in California.
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- But one of them would have
been her best friend Nina.
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00:08:35,515 --> 00:08:38,727
In this particular photograph,
Nina's new husband, Bob,
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00:08:38,768 --> 00:08:42,397
is seen in sort of a cozy,
familiar position
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00:08:42,439 --> 00:08:44,566
with Jennifer.
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00:08:44,607 --> 00:08:46,234
Is that the catalyst
for what's happened?
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00:08:46,276 --> 00:08:50,238
Is this husband a possibility
as a suspect?
200
00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:56,161
[ominous music]
201
00:09:00,832 --> 00:09:01,291
[ominous music]
202
00:09:03,585 --> 00:09:04,753
* *
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00:09:04,794 --> 00:09:07,714
[atmospheric music]
204
00:09:07,756 --> 00:09:10,550
narrator: Jet-setting
telecommunications executive
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00:09:10,592 --> 00:09:14,137
Jim Peng is still grappling
with the shocking end
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00:09:14,179 --> 00:09:17,098
to his May-December romance
with Jennifer Ji
207
00:09:17,140 --> 00:09:20,518
in the OC enclave
of Mission Viejo.
208
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,354
Even detectives
find the murder
209
00:09:22,395 --> 00:09:24,481
of this quiet-mannered
immigrant mother
210
00:09:24,522 --> 00:09:27,817
and her son, Kevin,
difficult to comprehend.
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00:09:27,859 --> 00:09:29,611
[ominous music]
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00:09:29,652 --> 00:09:32,113
- You could tell that
she had been stabbed.
213
00:09:32,155 --> 00:09:34,407
Lividity had started
setting in.
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00:09:34,449 --> 00:09:37,327
And lividity is when
the blood starts to pool
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00:09:37,369 --> 00:09:38,953
at the lower extremities.
216
00:09:38,995 --> 00:09:41,623
And it doesn't occur
for some time after death.
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00:09:41,664 --> 00:09:44,459
So she obviously
had been stabbed
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00:09:44,501 --> 00:09:46,920
and had died some time ago.
219
00:09:49,464 --> 00:09:51,966
There was absolutely no forced
entry into the apartment.
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00:09:52,008 --> 00:09:53,927
The weird thing about
the situation is,
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00:09:53,968 --> 00:09:55,303
there wasn't a lot of stuff
out of place.
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00:09:55,345 --> 00:09:57,847
It wasn't like the apartment
was ransacked,
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00:09:57,889 --> 00:09:59,641
everything looked
pretty much intact.
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00:09:59,683 --> 00:10:00,892
It was a lot of blood.
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00:10:00,934 --> 00:10:02,519
A lot of dried blood
on the ground
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00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:03,895
and on the cushions.
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00:10:03,937 --> 00:10:06,189
You know,
just on the floor in general.
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00:10:08,358 --> 00:10:10,026
It was probably someone
that she knew
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00:10:10,068 --> 00:10:11,903
that she let in the apartment,
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00:10:11,945 --> 00:10:14,989
which is very common
for murders.
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00:10:15,031 --> 00:10:17,575
You have some sort of
connection there somewhere
232
00:10:17,617 --> 00:10:19,327
with the suspect.
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00:10:19,369 --> 00:10:22,080
Didn't rule out that
Jim was involved.
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00:10:22,122 --> 00:10:24,207
- So investigators,
they bring in Jim Peng.
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00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:26,376
What Jim Peng gives them
is an alibi.
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00:10:26,418 --> 00:10:28,336
His alibi is he was out
of the country.
237
00:10:28,378 --> 00:10:29,379
He was traveling.
238
00:10:29,421 --> 00:10:31,339
He had been in Asia
for business.
239
00:10:31,381 --> 00:10:34,509
He presents a scenario where
he's gone to the apartment,
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00:10:34,551 --> 00:10:35,802
which he pays for,
241
00:10:35,844 --> 00:10:37,762
and that's when his life
changes forever
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00:10:37,804 --> 00:10:42,058
because he's greeted by the
brutality of this crime scene.
243
00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:44,769
[suspenseful music]
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00:10:44,811 --> 00:10:48,064
narrator: Detectives are able
to confirm Jim's alibi.
245
00:10:48,106 --> 00:10:52,235
Leaving them to question
just who was Jennifer Ji?
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00:10:54,070 --> 00:10:55,780
- I'm Shiru Hong.
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00:10:55,822 --> 00:11:00,368
I was a freelance
interpreter back in the '90s.
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00:11:00,410 --> 00:11:03,038
When China was going through
cultural revolution,
249
00:11:03,079 --> 00:11:05,749
it was sealed off
from the rest of the world.
250
00:11:05,790 --> 00:11:09,210
So we didn't know much about
what was going on in China.
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00:11:09,252 --> 00:11:13,882
Ji Ranbing, or Jennifer Ji,
was born the second year
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00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:16,092
the cultural revolution
started.
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00:11:16,134 --> 00:11:18,386
What that tells me is that
in her childhood
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00:11:18,428 --> 00:11:21,056
she probably went through
some hardship,
255
00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:23,558
but by the time
the cultural revolution ended,
256
00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:27,395
she was young enough to be
able to get back to school,
257
00:11:27,437 --> 00:11:29,689
and she eventually
graduated from college.
258
00:11:29,731 --> 00:11:33,234
She was tall,
she was beautiful, ambitious,
259
00:11:33,276 --> 00:11:36,571
and she got a job at a place
called the Dynasty Hotel
260
00:11:36,613 --> 00:11:38,531
as, like, a PR manager,
261
00:11:38,573 --> 00:11:41,242
and that's where she met
Jim Peng.
262
00:11:41,284 --> 00:11:43,703
There was one day
the hotel was having
263
00:11:43,745 --> 00:11:46,122
some kind of performance
outdoors,
264
00:11:46,164 --> 00:11:49,459
and people were all out there
in the courtyard watching.
265
00:11:49,501 --> 00:11:51,461
Jennifer is very tall.
266
00:11:51,503 --> 00:11:54,923
And Jim was maybe 5'6".
267
00:11:54,964 --> 00:11:58,134
So Jennifer was blocking him.
268
00:11:58,176 --> 00:12:00,553
And he said, you know,
"Excuse me, can you move?
269
00:12:00,595 --> 00:12:02,597
'Cause I can't see."
That's how they met.
270
00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:04,265
And they started talking.
271
00:12:04,307 --> 00:12:07,977
- So from that chance meeting
in 1990 at a hotel in China,
272
00:12:08,019 --> 00:12:11,606
their friendship
turned into a romance,
273
00:12:11,648 --> 00:12:14,359
and then she finds
herself pregnant.
274
00:12:15,860 --> 00:12:19,030
- Back in the '90s, Jennifer
had to hide her pregnancy.
275
00:12:19,072 --> 00:12:21,324
Her family had no idea,
276
00:12:21,366 --> 00:12:24,828
and she couldn't let people
know she was pregnant.
277
00:12:24,869 --> 00:12:28,498
For a single woman who's not
married to be pregnant,
278
00:12:28,540 --> 00:12:31,668
you bring shame
not just to your family,
279
00:12:31,710 --> 00:12:34,087
to your family name,
to your ancestors.
280
00:12:34,129 --> 00:12:35,880
Like what we say, you know,
281
00:12:35,922 --> 00:12:38,133
the ancestors would be
turning in their graves.
282
00:12:38,174 --> 00:12:41,636
It was very serious.
283
00:12:41,678 --> 00:12:44,180
- The prospect of being
a single mom with a child
284
00:12:44,222 --> 00:12:46,975
born out of wedlock
is a tough prospect
285
00:12:47,017 --> 00:12:49,144
for Jennifer to consider
in China.
286
00:12:49,185 --> 00:12:51,855
There seems to be
one clear course,
287
00:12:51,896 --> 00:12:53,648
one direction
that she should move.
288
00:12:53,690 --> 00:12:57,027
If her son's going to have
a chance to have a good future,
289
00:12:57,068 --> 00:12:58,737
it's probably going to be
in the United States.
290
00:12:58,778 --> 00:13:01,698
So that propels her toward
Southern California.
291
00:13:01,740 --> 00:13:05,452
Jennifer was eager to find
a life that was exciting
292
00:13:05,493 --> 00:13:07,162
and as bright as she was.
293
00:13:07,203 --> 00:13:09,330
And she brought all that
with her
294
00:13:09,372 --> 00:13:12,667
when she got off the plane
in Southern California.
295
00:13:12,709 --> 00:13:15,003
narrator: But Jennifer's
escape to Orange County
296
00:13:15,045 --> 00:13:16,963
and picture-perfect
new beginning
297
00:13:17,005 --> 00:13:19,632
has come to an abrupt end.
298
00:13:19,674 --> 00:13:22,010
Police wonder if perhaps
neighbors in the complex
299
00:13:22,052 --> 00:13:25,555
saw or heard anything that
could provide some insight.
300
00:13:25,597 --> 00:13:27,390
- Jennifer's neighbors,
you know,
301
00:13:27,432 --> 00:13:29,142
were trying to process
how this could happen.
302
00:13:29,184 --> 00:13:31,186
They were searching through
their mind for clues
303
00:13:31,227 --> 00:13:33,813
that they might've
seen indications.
304
00:13:33,855 --> 00:13:35,315
No one heard anything.
305
00:13:35,357 --> 00:13:37,150
The fact that
no one saw anything,
306
00:13:37,192 --> 00:13:40,820
it does kind of go
against expectations.
307
00:13:40,862 --> 00:13:43,406
Investigators, they don't
have a lot to work on.
308
00:13:43,448 --> 00:13:45,867
They have the crime scene.
They have no murder weapon.
309
00:13:45,909 --> 00:13:48,370
And they also don't really have
any accounts from witnesses
310
00:13:48,411 --> 00:13:50,413
that are going to get them
any closer
311
00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:54,084
to determining what happened
inside that apartment.
312
00:13:54,125 --> 00:13:58,004
* *
313
00:13:58,046 --> 00:14:00,215
narrator: With no leads
from neighbors
314
00:14:00,256 --> 00:14:02,050
and no signs of forced entry,
315
00:14:02,092 --> 00:14:03,551
investigators think
it's possible
316
00:14:03,593 --> 00:14:06,262
Jennifer may
have known her killer.
317
00:14:06,304 --> 00:14:08,848
Police turn to the person
who knew her best,
318
00:14:08,890 --> 00:14:12,394
her closest friend, Nina.
319
00:14:12,435 --> 00:14:14,646
- There's not a lot of familiar
or friendly faces
320
00:14:14,688 --> 00:14:16,606
that they have in their life,
321
00:14:16,648 --> 00:14:19,234
but one of them would have
been her best friend, Nina.
322
00:14:19,275 --> 00:14:22,320
Jennifer, when she first
arrived in the United States,
323
00:14:22,362 --> 00:14:24,030
one of the first things
that happened to her
324
00:14:24,072 --> 00:14:25,699
was she found a friend.
325
00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:29,452
Jim and Jennifer
stopped at a Chinese restaurant
326
00:14:29,494 --> 00:14:30,829
in Orange County.
327
00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:33,748
And one of the people
that worked there was Nina.
328
00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:36,960
And she and Jennifer
would become friends,
329
00:14:37,002 --> 00:14:38,420
to the point that Jennifer
330
00:14:38,461 --> 00:14:41,715
would be part of Nina's
wedding party.
331
00:14:41,756 --> 00:14:44,467
Among the photos that
investigators found
332
00:14:44,509 --> 00:14:47,762
that in Jennifer's apartment
were related to this wedding,
333
00:14:47,804 --> 00:14:51,725
they saw one of Nina's
new husband alone in a shot
334
00:14:51,766 --> 00:14:54,602
in a frame with Jennifer.
335
00:14:54,644 --> 00:14:58,106
In this particular photograph,
Nina's new husband, Bob,
336
00:14:58,148 --> 00:15:00,358
is seen in sort of a cozy,
337
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,777
familiar position
with Jennifer.
338
00:15:02,819 --> 00:15:07,824
And just on that simple fact,
they decide to look into
339
00:15:07,866 --> 00:15:11,870
the dynamic
between Bob and Jennifer.
340
00:15:11,911 --> 00:15:14,581
That simple thing
led them to ask,
341
00:15:14,622 --> 00:15:17,167
"Is this suggest that
there's a relationship here?
342
00:15:17,208 --> 00:15:20,420
"Is this wedding--is that the
catalyst for what's happened?
343
00:15:20,462 --> 00:15:23,965
Is this husband a possibility
as a suspect?"
344
00:15:24,007 --> 00:15:27,302
They have to go down that road
because if they don't,
345
00:15:27,344 --> 00:15:29,429
it could
compromise the investigation.
346
00:15:29,471 --> 00:15:31,973
Is this suggesting an illicit
347
00:15:32,015 --> 00:15:34,100
or a secret relationship
of some kind
348
00:15:34,142 --> 00:15:36,144
as the motive for this crime?
349
00:15:39,022 --> 00:15:41,983
[ominous music]
350
00:15:46,571 --> 00:15:47,030
[ominous music]
351
00:15:49,324 --> 00:15:50,825
* *
352
00:15:50,867 --> 00:15:53,411
narrator:
Before her tragic murder,
353
00:15:53,453 --> 00:15:56,539
Jennifer Ji was settling
into her new OC life
354
00:15:56,581 --> 00:15:59,959
as jet-setting millionaire
Jim Peng's girlfriend.
355
00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:02,545
Jennifer was also becoming
fast friends
356
00:16:02,587 --> 00:16:04,839
with locals like Nina
and Bob Wadley.
357
00:16:04,881 --> 00:16:07,717
A cozy snapshot
of Jennifer and Bob
358
00:16:07,759 --> 00:16:11,054
from his recent wedding to
Nina had detectives wondering
359
00:16:11,096 --> 00:16:14,140
if Jennifer had gotten
too close for comfort
360
00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:16,893
with Nina's
new well-heeled husband.
361
00:16:16,935 --> 00:16:19,354
- The photograph of Jennifer
leads investigators to Bob.
362
00:16:19,396 --> 00:16:21,314
Bob is the husband of Nina.
363
00:16:21,356 --> 00:16:23,608
They go and they
interview him.
364
00:16:23,650 --> 00:16:26,486
He's a pilot,
and his itineraries were
365
00:16:26,528 --> 00:16:29,656
taking him
out of Orange County,
366
00:16:29,698 --> 00:16:31,616
quickly eliminating him
as a suspect.
367
00:16:33,868 --> 00:16:35,286
Nina, there's nothing
about her
368
00:16:35,328 --> 00:16:37,163
that screams "murder suspect,"
369
00:16:37,205 --> 00:16:40,917
but investigators can't just
rely on assumptions like that,
370
00:16:40,959 --> 00:16:42,627
and they began sizing her up.
371
00:16:42,669 --> 00:16:45,213
They do that work, and they're
pretty quick to dismiss
372
00:16:45,255 --> 00:16:48,133
Nina as a viable suspect.
373
00:16:49,676 --> 00:16:53,763
The circle of people around
Jennifer was a small one.
374
00:16:53,805 --> 00:16:58,768
And with Nina and Bob
eliminated as suspects,
375
00:16:58,810 --> 00:17:00,353
it's getting smaller.
376
00:17:00,395 --> 00:17:03,440
* *
377
00:17:03,481 --> 00:17:05,442
narrator: As another lead
dries up,
378
00:17:05,483 --> 00:17:07,861
investigators still can't
shake the notion
379
00:17:07,902 --> 00:17:11,406
that Jennifer's killer is
probably someone close to her.
380
00:17:12,824 --> 00:17:16,161
- My name is Robert Molko,
and in the 1990s,
381
00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:19,289
I was a prosecutor
in Orange County, California.
382
00:17:19,330 --> 00:17:23,835
Somebody stabbed 18 times
is a sign of passion.
383
00:17:23,877 --> 00:17:26,921
Very clear sign of passion.
Very easy case to resolve.
384
00:17:26,963 --> 00:17:29,174
This is not a mobster.
385
00:17:29,215 --> 00:17:32,552
This is not an execution
by a cartel.
386
00:17:32,594 --> 00:17:36,848
It was a middle-class
very nice neighborhood
387
00:17:36,890 --> 00:17:41,895
of apartments in Mission
Viejo, suburban community.
388
00:17:41,936 --> 00:17:44,147
There was no sign
of forced entry.
389
00:17:44,189 --> 00:17:46,066
She had a child,
390
00:17:46,107 --> 00:17:48,818
would not have let anybody
in that she did not know.
391
00:17:48,860 --> 00:17:53,823
This is most probably some kind
of domestic type of situation.
392
00:17:53,865 --> 00:17:55,992
It's the very first thing
you think of.
393
00:17:56,034 --> 00:17:58,995
* *
394
00:17:59,037 --> 00:18:02,457
She was someone who had
come from mainland China,
395
00:18:02,499 --> 00:18:04,959
did not know very many people.
396
00:18:05,001 --> 00:18:07,712
narrator: Just days
after the murder,
397
00:18:07,754 --> 00:18:10,423
police return
to the most obvious suspect,
398
00:18:10,465 --> 00:18:13,009
Jennifer's boyfriend
and father of her child,
399
00:18:13,051 --> 00:18:14,511
Jim Peng.
400
00:18:14,552 --> 00:18:16,680
When questioned
a second time around,
401
00:18:16,721 --> 00:18:18,807
it's clear there's
another side to Jim
402
00:18:18,848 --> 00:18:21,101
investigators
have yet to unveil.
403
00:18:21,142 --> 00:18:23,395
As investigators are talking
to Jim Peng
404
00:18:23,436 --> 00:18:26,398
about Jennifer and the baby,
405
00:18:26,439 --> 00:18:29,693
it doesn't add up
as far as his time.
406
00:18:29,734 --> 00:18:32,821
Where is he all the time?
What's he occupied with?
407
00:18:32,862 --> 00:18:34,823
Well, that's when Jim Peng
says,
408
00:18:34,864 --> 00:18:36,950
"You know,
I do have a lot going on."
409
00:18:39,077 --> 00:18:41,996
All of a sudden Jim Peng
drop this bombshell that,
410
00:18:42,038 --> 00:18:45,500
"Oh, by the way, I'm married
and my wife and two kids
411
00:18:45,542 --> 00:18:47,919
live just in the next city up."
412
00:18:49,587 --> 00:18:53,591
So his entire relationship
413
00:18:53,633 --> 00:18:56,594
with Jennifer
and their newborn
414
00:18:56,636 --> 00:18:58,096
is a second life for him.
415
00:18:58,138 --> 00:19:00,432
This is a guy that's leading
two different lives.
416
00:19:02,392 --> 00:19:04,602
In the span of maybe
7 or 8 miles,
417
00:19:04,644 --> 00:19:08,273
you have two different women
who both have Jim Peng
418
00:19:08,314 --> 00:19:12,652
as the father
of their children.
419
00:19:12,694 --> 00:19:16,448
But neither of these women
know fully what's going on.
420
00:19:16,489 --> 00:19:18,533
- The little light would've
gone off in my head
421
00:19:18,575 --> 00:19:21,619
that Jim Peng just had dropped
a bombshell on 'em.
422
00:19:21,661 --> 00:19:23,747
And this was kind of
the break in the case
423
00:19:23,788 --> 00:19:25,790
that I think that
they were looking for.
424
00:19:25,832 --> 00:19:28,293
* *
425
00:19:28,335 --> 00:19:29,753
Now they had motive.
426
00:19:29,794 --> 00:19:32,756
They had someone
they could go and interview
427
00:19:32,797 --> 00:19:35,342
and they had
a possible suspect.
428
00:19:35,383 --> 00:19:37,218
And I think that was
a huge break in the case.
429
00:19:37,260 --> 00:19:40,138
- So investigators are taking
all this information
430
00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:41,473
in from Jim Peng.
431
00:19:41,514 --> 00:19:45,352
He has this lover.
He also has a wife.
432
00:19:45,393 --> 00:19:49,898
That tells investigators that
there's a very good chance
433
00:19:49,939 --> 00:19:53,735
that the strongest motive
is going to belong to someone
434
00:19:53,777 --> 00:19:55,403
who wants
this relationship to end.
435
00:19:55,445 --> 00:19:57,781
The question they have is
if that person is Jim Peng
436
00:19:57,822 --> 00:20:00,575
or if it's somebody else.
437
00:20:00,617 --> 00:20:02,118
Narrator: The revelation
of Jim Peng's
438
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:03,912
duplicitous double life
439
00:20:03,953 --> 00:20:06,456
sets off alarm bells
for police.
440
00:20:06,498 --> 00:20:09,209
- Jim Peng was conflicted.
441
00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:12,754
A married man who had
two teenagers and a wife,
442
00:20:12,796 --> 00:20:15,298
multi-million dollar empire.
443
00:20:15,340 --> 00:20:18,009
Does he break off
the relationship?
444
00:20:18,051 --> 00:20:21,721
And really the story
of this case is,
445
00:20:21,763 --> 00:20:23,640
he had created a situation
446
00:20:23,682 --> 00:20:25,975
that he did not know
how to get out of.
447
00:20:26,017 --> 00:20:28,978
* *
448
00:20:29,020 --> 00:20:31,523
narrator: Investigators know
that desperate times
449
00:20:31,564 --> 00:20:34,317
can sometimes call
for desperate measures.
450
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:38,863
The question is, how desperate
was Jim Peng?
451
00:20:38,905 --> 00:20:41,741
- Jim Peng is a man that knows
how to figure things out.
452
00:20:41,783 --> 00:20:45,704
He's figured out business
in two different continents
453
00:20:45,745 --> 00:20:47,539
and made a success in both.
454
00:20:49,624 --> 00:20:51,084
And he thinks
he's got this figured out.
455
00:20:51,126 --> 00:20:53,128
He's got two different lives
that he's built.
456
00:20:53,169 --> 00:20:56,548
He's got one apartment
with a newborn son
457
00:20:56,589 --> 00:20:58,550
and a young lover,
half his age.
458
00:20:58,591 --> 00:21:00,677
He's got another home--
a beautiful home
459
00:21:00,719 --> 00:21:03,722
with a wife of two decades
and two sons
460
00:21:03,763 --> 00:21:05,223
who are each
in private schools
461
00:21:05,265 --> 00:21:07,350
in Orange County, California.
462
00:21:07,392 --> 00:21:09,686
For him, the question
is just how long
463
00:21:09,728 --> 00:21:12,272
he can keep things
going at equilibrium.
464
00:21:12,313 --> 00:21:16,067
Investigators want to know
why that equilibrium changed.
465
00:21:17,986 --> 00:21:19,696
So investigators
are very interested
466
00:21:19,738 --> 00:21:22,657
in hooking Jim Peng up
to a polygraph machine.
467
00:21:24,909 --> 00:21:29,039
- Polygraph is instrumental
in that it just helps the case.
468
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,208
They have him sitting there
all wired to the machine.
469
00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:33,877
They start asking the questions
470
00:21:33,918 --> 00:21:36,254
that they really want
answered the most.
471
00:21:36,296 --> 00:21:40,133
Were you there? Did you do it?
472
00:21:40,175 --> 00:21:41,634
Do you know who did it?
473
00:21:41,676 --> 00:21:44,512
[tense music]
474
00:21:44,554 --> 00:21:48,433
* *
475
00:21:50,185 --> 00:21:53,146
[ominous music]
476
00:21:57,734 --> 00:21:58,193
[ominous music]
477
00:22:00,528 --> 00:22:01,905
* *
478
00:22:01,946 --> 00:22:05,075
[suspenseful music]
479
00:22:05,116 --> 00:22:06,493
* *
480
00:22:06,534 --> 00:22:09,287
narrator: Married Orange
County tech titan Jim Peng
481
00:22:09,329 --> 00:22:11,289
swears he's an innocent man
482
00:22:11,331 --> 00:22:13,333
and had nothing to do
with the murders
483
00:22:13,375 --> 00:22:17,379
of girlfriend Jennifer Ji
and their infant son, Kevin.
484
00:22:17,420 --> 00:22:20,674
Detectives watch carefully
as he takes a polygraph test
485
00:22:20,715 --> 00:22:22,133
to prove it.
486
00:22:22,175 --> 00:22:23,885
- One thing the polygraph,
you know,
487
00:22:23,927 --> 00:22:26,805
in my experience--
or proves valuable
488
00:22:26,846 --> 00:22:27,847
is even though
it's not admissible
489
00:22:27,889 --> 00:22:29,307
in court as evidence,
490
00:22:29,349 --> 00:22:31,393
it kind of gives
an investigator a good idea
491
00:22:31,434 --> 00:22:32,894
if someone is lying.
492
00:22:32,936 --> 00:22:34,896
It's still a good indicator
that, okay,
493
00:22:34,938 --> 00:22:37,941
we need to continue down
a line of interview
494
00:22:37,982 --> 00:22:40,110
that we might have
a suspect here.
495
00:22:41,736 --> 00:22:44,447
- Jim Peng's polygraph test
comes back
496
00:22:44,489 --> 00:22:47,075
and the needle says, "Jim
Peng's telling the truth."
497
00:22:48,702 --> 00:22:50,286
narrator:
With Jim off the hook
498
00:22:50,328 --> 00:22:52,038
as their primary suspect,
499
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:53,790
investigators
shift their focus
500
00:22:53,832 --> 00:22:55,875
to the other woman
in Jim's life.
501
00:22:55,917 --> 00:22:58,211
- It had to be somebody
she let in.
502
00:22:58,253 --> 00:22:59,838
Who did she know?
503
00:22:59,879 --> 00:23:02,549
It's a woman
who knew very few people
504
00:23:02,590 --> 00:23:04,926
in Orange County in California.
505
00:23:04,968 --> 00:23:08,054
Jim's wife Lisa Peng
was in Orange County,
506
00:23:08,096 --> 00:23:10,056
just a few miles away
in the house
507
00:23:10,098 --> 00:23:13,184
that Jim Peng had purchased.
508
00:23:13,226 --> 00:23:14,811
narrator:
Detectives already know
509
00:23:14,853 --> 00:23:17,355
that Jim Peng's home
with wife, Lisa,
510
00:23:17,397 --> 00:23:20,191
was within minutes
of the crime scene.
511
00:23:20,233 --> 00:23:22,444
But what did she know
about her husband's
512
00:23:22,485 --> 00:23:26,031
secret second family?
513
00:23:26,072 --> 00:23:28,241
- Investigators have a lot
of questions for Lisa Peng.
514
00:23:28,283 --> 00:23:31,286
They go to talk to her
at her home with Jim Peng.
515
00:23:31,327 --> 00:23:34,372
One of the things that they
want to see is her reaction
516
00:23:34,414 --> 00:23:40,003
when they tell her
who the murder victim is.
517
00:23:40,045 --> 00:23:42,881
They're watching her
carefully at that point.
518
00:23:42,922 --> 00:23:45,258
She shows no surprise
to the fact
519
00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:47,010
that her husband
was having an affair.
520
00:23:47,052 --> 00:23:49,262
And in fact, if anything,
her reaction
521
00:23:49,304 --> 00:23:55,268
is one of resignation
and acknowledgement.
522
00:23:55,310 --> 00:23:59,981
* *
523
00:24:00,023 --> 00:24:02,525
narrator: Infidelity
is a dirty little secret
524
00:24:02,567 --> 00:24:04,903
not foreign to Orange County.
525
00:24:04,944 --> 00:24:07,614
Lisa had hoped that the vows
she exchanged
526
00:24:07,655 --> 00:24:09,074
with her husband, Jim,
527
00:24:09,115 --> 00:24:11,368
would protect the sanctity
of their marriage.
528
00:24:11,409 --> 00:24:15,246
* *
529
00:24:15,288 --> 00:24:18,625
- When Taiwan opened up
to allow Taiwanese businessmen
530
00:24:18,667 --> 00:24:21,169
to go to China to invest,
531
00:24:21,211 --> 00:24:22,921
hundreds and hundreds of them
532
00:24:22,962 --> 00:24:25,507
went to take advantage
of the cheap labor.
533
00:24:25,548 --> 00:24:29,427
And Jim Peng was one
of the very first ones.
534
00:24:29,469 --> 00:24:33,306
And almost all of them
take up a mistress in China.
535
00:24:33,348 --> 00:24:34,891
It's a trophy
536
00:24:34,933 --> 00:24:37,977
so you can show off
how successful you are.
537
00:24:38,019 --> 00:24:39,979
- It's a scenario
that's familiar
538
00:24:40,021 --> 00:24:41,648
to people in the community.
539
00:24:41,690 --> 00:24:44,109
But for Lisa Peng,
it's one that she thought
540
00:24:44,150 --> 00:24:46,152
her husband
would never be part of.
541
00:24:46,194 --> 00:24:47,821
narrator:
Lisa tells detectives
542
00:24:47,862 --> 00:24:49,698
she helped build Jim's company
543
00:24:49,739 --> 00:24:52,158
a world away
from Orange County.
544
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,327
His frequent business trips
to Shanghai
545
00:24:54,369 --> 00:24:56,287
had left him open
to temptation.
546
00:24:56,329 --> 00:24:58,998
- The new factory
was in Shanghai.
547
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,502
And she, for whatever reason--
548
00:25:02,544 --> 00:25:05,088
but she packed
and unpacked his suitcases.
549
00:25:05,130 --> 00:25:07,382
- There was a little t-shirt,
550
00:25:07,424 --> 00:25:09,718
obviously a woman's
size t-shirt.
551
00:25:09,759 --> 00:25:11,803
Definitely not Jim's size.
552
00:25:11,845 --> 00:25:13,596
And he said, "Oh, I don't know.
553
00:25:13,638 --> 00:25:19,019
Maybe the hotel laundry service
got it mixed up or something."
554
00:25:19,060 --> 00:25:20,520
That's how it started.
555
00:25:20,562 --> 00:25:23,314
She started wondering
what's going on.
556
00:25:23,356 --> 00:25:26,860
But until that point,
she had no idea.
557
00:25:28,236 --> 00:25:30,739
Lisa quit her job
as well to help Jim.
558
00:25:30,780 --> 00:25:34,034
So she considers herself
the reason
559
00:25:34,075 --> 00:25:36,995
why Jim became so successful.
560
00:25:37,037 --> 00:25:41,082
She's very instrumental,
and she contributed a lot.
561
00:25:41,124 --> 00:25:43,418
I think that's why she
was so upset that later on
562
00:25:43,460 --> 00:25:47,130
that Jim was being
unfaithful to her.
563
00:25:47,172 --> 00:25:49,758
narrator: Lisa closes
the interview with describing
564
00:25:49,799 --> 00:25:51,593
how she discovered
Jim's affair
565
00:25:51,634 --> 00:25:53,511
had migrated to the States
566
00:25:53,553 --> 00:25:56,473
along with their business
and new home.
567
00:25:56,514 --> 00:25:59,059
- One time in the nice house
568
00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:00,643
that they owned
in Mission Viejo,
569
00:26:00,685 --> 00:26:05,482
Lisa comes from Taiwan,
and Jim Peng's not here.
570
00:26:05,523 --> 00:26:08,068
But she goes
into the master bedroom,
571
00:26:08,109 --> 00:26:14,240
and she finds women's
underwear in the bed
572
00:26:14,282 --> 00:26:19,454
and a set of women's
clothes in the closet.
573
00:26:19,496 --> 00:26:25,251
She proceeded to take scissors
and cut all those clothes up.
574
00:26:25,293 --> 00:26:29,047
* *
575
00:26:29,089 --> 00:26:32,509
- That night,
Jim came home with Jennifer,
576
00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:35,929
and they opened the door,
and they saw Lisa there.
577
00:26:35,970 --> 00:26:38,098
And then Lisa said to Jennifer,
578
00:26:38,139 --> 00:26:40,642
"What are you doing
in my house?"
579
00:26:40,684 --> 00:26:44,854
And then Jennifer said, "Well,
it may be your house now,
580
00:26:44,896 --> 00:26:48,316
but don't be so sure
it will always be your house."
581
00:26:50,443 --> 00:26:54,155
That got her very upset
because she just thought
582
00:26:54,197 --> 00:26:57,325
that you're the one
who broke my family.
583
00:26:57,367 --> 00:27:00,620
You should be sorry.
You should be apologetic.
584
00:27:00,662 --> 00:27:03,623
Why'd he have to do this?
585
00:27:03,665 --> 00:27:05,667
And Jennifer just ignored her.
586
00:27:05,709 --> 00:27:08,753
And just told her,
"I'm never gonna give up."
587
00:27:08,795 --> 00:27:13,967
Lisa Peng and Jennifer Ji
had so much in common.
588
00:27:14,009 --> 00:27:16,136
They're both very strong women.
589
00:27:16,177 --> 00:27:20,306
And that's why
there's conflict.
590
00:27:20,348 --> 00:27:22,308
narrator:
Detectives now see Lisa Peng
591
00:27:22,350 --> 00:27:25,020
as a woman
with a possible motive.
592
00:27:25,061 --> 00:27:27,063
And several months
after the interview,
593
00:27:27,105 --> 00:27:29,149
they may have uncovered
enough evidence
594
00:27:29,190 --> 00:27:31,443
to tie her
to the scene of the crime.
595
00:27:31,484 --> 00:27:34,654
- The 18 stab wounds is not
the kind of killing
596
00:27:34,696 --> 00:27:36,072
that somebody you hire.
597
00:27:36,114 --> 00:27:38,658
This is somebody
who was personally involved.
598
00:27:38,700 --> 00:27:42,787
And on top of that, there was
a mark on the left upper arm
599
00:27:42,829 --> 00:27:45,999
that looked like a bite mark.
600
00:27:47,959 --> 00:27:50,503
- The bite mark was discovered
during the autopsy.
601
00:27:50,545 --> 00:27:52,672
And during the autopsy,
602
00:27:52,714 --> 00:27:55,842
they were able to actually
recover some DNA evidence.
603
00:27:55,884 --> 00:27:57,927
- There was saliva.
604
00:27:57,969 --> 00:28:01,473
And it was known at the time
that saliva contains DNA.
605
00:28:01,514 --> 00:28:04,517
- The DNA that is extracted
from this wound
606
00:28:04,559 --> 00:28:08,438
on the left arm of Jennifer,
yields DNA evidence.
607
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,524
And that DNA evidence
technology in 1990s
608
00:28:11,566 --> 00:28:12,942
was sufficiently advanced
609
00:28:12,984 --> 00:28:16,613
that it proved to be
a major break in this case.
610
00:28:16,654 --> 00:28:21,117
Investigators have been hungry
for any sort of clue,
611
00:28:21,159 --> 00:28:23,119
any sort of signpost
that's going to point them
612
00:28:23,161 --> 00:28:24,788
in the right direction.
613
00:28:24,829 --> 00:28:26,414
And now they learn something
614
00:28:26,456 --> 00:28:28,833
that will change the course
of the investigation.
615
00:28:28,875 --> 00:28:31,378
[dramatic music]
616
00:28:31,419 --> 00:28:33,630
- They were speaking
in Chinese,
617
00:28:33,672 --> 00:28:35,131
thinking that no one
was going to understand
618
00:28:35,173 --> 00:28:36,383
what they're saying.
619
00:28:36,424 --> 00:28:38,551
- "So it's your problem.
It's not my problem.
620
00:28:38,593 --> 00:28:40,887
But I'm the one
who's gonna get locked up."
621
00:28:40,929 --> 00:28:42,013
- You couldn't really get
a good read
622
00:28:42,055 --> 00:28:43,431
on what the jury was thinking.
623
00:28:43,473 --> 00:28:47,435
- I can remember her running
out of the court room
624
00:28:47,477 --> 00:28:48,895
and screaming.
625
00:28:48,937 --> 00:28:52,065
[woman screams]
626
00:28:52,107 --> 00:28:55,068
[ominous music]
627
00:28:59,989 --> 00:29:00,448
[ominous music]
628
00:29:02,951 --> 00:29:04,494
* *
629
00:29:09,165 --> 00:29:10,959
narrator:
Lisa Peng's police interview
630
00:29:11,001 --> 00:29:13,253
leaves no doubt
she had plenty of motive
631
00:29:13,294 --> 00:29:15,964
to kill her tech mogul
husband's mistress
632
00:29:16,006 --> 00:29:17,841
and infant son.
633
00:29:17,882 --> 00:29:21,302
But will a DNA test provide
OC sheriff investigators
634
00:29:21,344 --> 00:29:25,807
what they need to close in
on their prime suspect?
635
00:29:25,849 --> 00:29:27,851
- Investigators have taken DNA
through saliva swabs
636
00:29:27,892 --> 00:29:31,146
from all the people
that they've been talking to.
637
00:29:31,187 --> 00:29:35,692
And they run those results
against the extracted DNA
638
00:29:35,734 --> 00:29:37,652
from the victim's body.
639
00:29:37,694 --> 00:29:40,822
The DNA result comes back
and the result says
640
00:29:40,864 --> 00:29:43,533
that the person
that bit Jennifer
641
00:29:43,575 --> 00:29:47,871
was Jim Peng's wife
of two decades, Lisa Peng.
642
00:29:47,912 --> 00:29:52,292
That mark on the arm,
the DNA in that wound,
643
00:29:52,334 --> 00:29:55,253
does suggest that Lisa Peng
has not been telling the truth
644
00:29:55,295 --> 00:29:58,840
about her whereabouts
during the crime.
645
00:29:58,882 --> 00:30:02,469
Now, you can walk that
through logically and say
646
00:30:02,510 --> 00:30:03,595
the person that bit her
647
00:30:03,636 --> 00:30:05,138
must have been the person
that killed her.
648
00:30:05,180 --> 00:30:06,723
Well, that may be true,
649
00:30:06,765 --> 00:30:10,352
but you have to prove it
in a court of law.
650
00:30:10,393 --> 00:30:11,728
[suspenseful music]
651
00:30:11,770 --> 00:30:14,230
- You had motive.
You had DNA evidence.
652
00:30:14,272 --> 00:30:18,026
So Lisa was arrested
for the murder of Jennifer
653
00:30:18,068 --> 00:30:19,402
and for Kevin.
654
00:30:19,444 --> 00:30:23,823
I think there was enough
evidence and the situation,
655
00:30:23,865 --> 00:30:25,909
whether it was for revenge,
656
00:30:25,950 --> 00:30:29,245
I think they had
a good suspect in custody.
657
00:30:29,287 --> 00:30:32,207
And I was happy to see it.
658
00:30:32,248 --> 00:30:33,750
- When Orange County
sheriff's investigators
659
00:30:33,792 --> 00:30:35,627
arrest Lisa Peng,
660
00:30:35,669 --> 00:30:37,045
She denies that
she's committed the crime.
661
00:30:37,087 --> 00:30:39,923
She denies that the scenario
is anything like
662
00:30:39,964 --> 00:30:42,884
what they're describing.
She maintains her innocence.
663
00:30:42,926 --> 00:30:46,388
And to the investigators'
surprise, so does Jim Peng.
664
00:30:46,429 --> 00:30:50,475
The same man that walked in
and found that crime scene,
665
00:30:50,517 --> 00:30:54,062
now has been told who police
believe is responsible for it,
666
00:30:54,104 --> 00:30:57,023
and his first reaction
and strongest reaction is,
667
00:30:57,065 --> 00:30:58,733
"It wasn't her."
668
00:31:01,111 --> 00:31:03,613
- At that point in time,
Jim Peng said,
669
00:31:03,655 --> 00:31:05,448
"May I have a moment with her
670
00:31:05,490 --> 00:31:08,076
before you take her
to booking?"
671
00:31:08,118 --> 00:31:12,872
* *
672
00:31:12,914 --> 00:31:14,374
Jim Peng went in there
673
00:31:14,416 --> 00:31:18,169
and started to speak
to Lisa in Mandarin Chinese.
674
00:31:18,211 --> 00:31:21,589
[person speaking Mandarin]
675
00:31:21,631 --> 00:31:25,093
- There's really no expectation
of privacy.
676
00:31:25,135 --> 00:31:28,013
You're in an interview room.
It was being recorded.
677
00:31:28,054 --> 00:31:29,723
* *
678
00:31:29,764 --> 00:31:32,600
They were speaking
in Chinese thinking that
679
00:31:32,642 --> 00:31:34,310
no one's gonna be able
to translate that
680
00:31:34,352 --> 00:31:36,271
or no one's gonna
understand what they're saying.
681
00:31:36,312 --> 00:31:39,190
- The investigators, not
knowing what's going on at all,
682
00:31:39,232 --> 00:31:42,152
come in and says, "Look,
we're running out of time.
683
00:31:42,193 --> 00:31:44,195
You gotta finish this."
684
00:31:44,237 --> 00:31:46,239
narrator: After separating
the couple,
685
00:31:46,281 --> 00:31:48,491
sheriff's investigators
must wait to see
686
00:31:48,533 --> 00:31:51,578
if the heated exchange reveals
any hidden truths
687
00:31:51,619 --> 00:31:53,955
about Jennifer's murder.
688
00:31:53,997 --> 00:31:55,832
- They had the translators
come in afterwards
689
00:31:55,874 --> 00:31:58,501
and give them
their interpretation
690
00:31:58,543 --> 00:32:00,670
of what was said
between Jim and Lisa.
691
00:32:02,047 --> 00:32:04,674
- Interpreting
that audio recording,
692
00:32:04,716 --> 00:32:07,093
the whole time Lisa was
just telling Jim,
693
00:32:07,135 --> 00:32:10,263
"You're the one who started it.
It's you.
694
00:32:10,305 --> 00:32:15,185
You're the one who cause us
to come to this point."
695
00:32:15,226 --> 00:32:17,604
And Lisa was just saying,
"It's you.
696
00:32:17,645 --> 00:32:20,607
"If you didn't get involved
with Jennifer,
697
00:32:20,648 --> 00:32:23,151
"we'll still be a happy family.
698
00:32:23,193 --> 00:32:25,111
"So it's your problem.
It's not my problem.
699
00:32:25,153 --> 00:32:27,489
But I'm the one
who's gonna get locked up."
700
00:32:27,530 --> 00:32:30,158
[ominous music]
701
00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,368
* *
702
00:32:31,409 --> 00:32:34,871
- The bombshell that is
when he asked her,
703
00:32:34,913 --> 00:32:37,832
"Why did you kill her?
Why did you stab her?"
704
00:32:37,874 --> 00:32:40,210
And she said,
"It was self-defense."
705
00:32:40,251 --> 00:32:42,337
[woman screaming]
706
00:32:42,379 --> 00:32:45,340
And then he questioned her,
"Eighteen times?"
707
00:32:45,382 --> 00:32:46,841
"Well, she fell on the knife."
708
00:32:46,883 --> 00:32:48,677
- He said,
"She fell on the knife?
709
00:32:48,718 --> 00:32:50,762
But why so many cuts?"
710
00:32:50,804 --> 00:32:53,098
We never got the answer
711
00:32:53,139 --> 00:32:57,727
because the investigators, not
knowing what was being said,
712
00:32:57,769 --> 00:32:59,729
said, "We gotta go."
713
00:32:59,771 --> 00:33:02,607
- That was, I think,
the huge break in the case
714
00:33:02,649 --> 00:33:05,068
where she incriminated
herself.
715
00:33:05,110 --> 00:33:07,862
* *
716
00:33:07,904 --> 00:33:09,781
narrator:
Armed with the transcripts
717
00:33:09,823 --> 00:33:12,575
from Lisa and Jim's
recorded conversation,
718
00:33:12,617 --> 00:33:14,285
prosecutors have
what they need
719
00:33:14,327 --> 00:33:17,664
to charge Lisa Peng
with double murder.
720
00:33:17,706 --> 00:33:24,004
* *
721
00:33:26,214 --> 00:33:30,135
- It's important to know
that Jim Peng
722
00:33:30,176 --> 00:33:33,930
had been ordered to show up
at the preliminary hearing.
723
00:33:35,515 --> 00:33:40,061
In court
with cross-examination,
724
00:33:40,103 --> 00:33:43,523
he testified for seven days.
725
00:33:43,565 --> 00:33:45,692
I put the defense on notice
726
00:33:45,734 --> 00:33:48,069
that should he refuse
to come back,
727
00:33:48,111 --> 00:33:51,281
We will use his testimony
at the preliminary hearing
728
00:33:51,322 --> 00:33:53,408
during the trial.
729
00:33:53,450 --> 00:33:55,243
And I assumed
he wouldn't be back
730
00:33:55,285 --> 00:33:58,997
because what he felt is,
"I created this problem.
731
00:33:59,039 --> 00:34:00,373
"I know how to fix the problem.
732
00:34:00,415 --> 00:34:03,793
I'll disappear,
and I'll never come back."
733
00:34:03,835 --> 00:34:05,920
Jim Peng never testified.
734
00:34:05,962 --> 00:34:08,173
Never came back to this
country for any of the trials.
735
00:34:08,214 --> 00:34:14,262
* *
736
00:34:14,304 --> 00:34:18,183
- In August 1995, Lisa Peng
finds herself in court.
737
00:34:18,224 --> 00:34:20,060
She's on trial.
738
00:34:20,101 --> 00:34:25,315
- He discovers Jennifer Ji dead
739
00:34:25,357 --> 00:34:27,609
on the sofa.
740
00:34:27,650 --> 00:34:29,778
And he can't find Kevin.
741
00:34:29,819 --> 00:34:31,279
He can't find the baby.
742
00:34:31,321 --> 00:34:35,033
The evidence will show
that the defendant had--
743
00:34:35,075 --> 00:34:38,411
after she had killed the baby--
744
00:34:38,453 --> 00:34:43,124
had covered him up
with a pillow and a blanket.
745
00:34:43,166 --> 00:34:44,626
- The first trial,
when I testified,
746
00:34:44,668 --> 00:34:47,629
it's always emotional whenever
there's kids involved.
747
00:34:47,671 --> 00:34:49,297
There's quite a time lapse
748
00:34:49,339 --> 00:34:51,091
between when the case
actually occurred
749
00:34:51,132 --> 00:34:52,717
and when it went to trial.
750
00:34:52,759 --> 00:34:54,552
So it brought back
a lot of memories.
751
00:34:54,594 --> 00:34:56,471
This was a unique case.
752
00:34:56,513 --> 00:35:01,476
- It was a setup, showing her
premeditation and deliberation.
753
00:35:01,518 --> 00:35:07,816
- Lisa was always very calm,
very in control, very composed.
754
00:35:07,857 --> 00:35:09,984
* *
755
00:35:10,026 --> 00:35:11,986
When they talk
about what happened,
756
00:35:12,028 --> 00:35:13,822
how, you know,
Jim met Jennifer,
757
00:35:13,863 --> 00:35:16,866
like, she'd act like
she couldn't care less.
758
00:35:16,908 --> 00:35:19,327
But if there is testimony
that pointed fingers at her
759
00:35:19,369 --> 00:35:22,789
and said that she is
the one who killed them,
760
00:35:22,831 --> 00:35:24,624
then she would break down.
761
00:35:24,666 --> 00:35:27,043
[Lisa crying]
762
00:35:27,085 --> 00:35:28,878
[person speaking Mandarin]
763
00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:30,588
- We're gonna take a 5-minute
recess.
764
00:35:30,630 --> 00:35:32,507
- When you're up testifying,
765
00:35:32,549 --> 00:35:35,176
you're basically telling
your story to the jury.
766
00:35:35,218 --> 00:35:36,845
So they're the ones
that you focus on most.
767
00:35:36,886 --> 00:35:38,555
You couldn't really get
a good read
768
00:35:38,596 --> 00:35:40,557
on what the jury
was thinking at the time.
769
00:35:40,598 --> 00:35:44,310
- Deliberations, if you've
tried enough cases,
770
00:35:44,352 --> 00:35:45,562
they can drive you crazy.
771
00:35:45,603 --> 00:35:48,857
You're never sure
what a jury's gonna do.
772
00:35:48,898 --> 00:35:51,901
Even if you have
a strong case,
773
00:35:51,943 --> 00:35:55,071
all it takes is one juror
to hang a jury.
774
00:35:57,615 --> 00:36:00,577
[ominous music]
775
00:36:05,498 --> 00:36:05,957
[ominous music]
776
00:36:08,251 --> 00:36:09,836
* *
777
00:36:09,878 --> 00:36:12,797
[suspenseful music]
778
00:36:12,839 --> 00:36:16,051
* *
779
00:36:16,092 --> 00:36:17,552
- This is not the first time
780
00:36:17,594 --> 00:36:19,596
that DNA's been admitted
in any case.
781
00:36:19,637 --> 00:36:21,222
We've been doing this
for 3 or 4 years.
782
00:36:21,264 --> 00:36:22,265
People are just
not aware of that.
783
00:36:22,307 --> 00:36:23,558
The public's not aware of that.
784
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,894
Maybe this will help them
focus on the issue.
785
00:36:25,935 --> 00:36:29,522
narrator: More than two years
after the 1993 slayings,
786
00:36:29,564 --> 00:36:31,733
Jim Peng's wife, Lisa,
787
00:36:31,775 --> 00:36:34,402
goes on trial for the
murders of his mistress,
788
00:36:34,444 --> 00:36:37,405
Jennifer Ji,
and their baby son, Kevin.
789
00:36:37,447 --> 00:36:40,241
And the evidence
against her is compelling.
790
00:36:40,283 --> 00:36:42,869
After being faced
with the DNA,
791
00:36:42,911 --> 00:36:46,039
she had to say she'd been
to the apartment.
792
00:36:46,081 --> 00:36:49,459
Although she never admitted
doing that to the police.
793
00:36:49,501 --> 00:36:51,628
But in the Chinese conversation
with her husband
794
00:36:51,670 --> 00:36:53,755
right before she was taken
to be booked,
795
00:36:53,797 --> 00:36:55,799
he asked,
"When did you go there?"
796
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,969
The three words are
"bong wan ma."
797
00:37:00,011 --> 00:37:01,638
We had three interpreters.
798
00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,391
One for the defendant,
one for the witness,
799
00:37:04,432 --> 00:37:05,892
and one in the audience.
800
00:37:05,934 --> 00:37:07,644
And they disagreed
as to what it meant.
801
00:37:07,686 --> 00:37:10,480
- In Chinese,
there are no tenses.
802
00:37:10,522 --> 00:37:13,733
So sometimes--
it's not like in English.
803
00:37:13,775 --> 00:37:16,653
It's very clear you're talking
about something in the past,
804
00:37:16,695 --> 00:37:18,488
you're talking about
something in the present,
805
00:37:18,530 --> 00:37:20,281
you're talking about
something in the future.
806
00:37:20,323 --> 00:37:24,119
In Chinese,
it kind of depends.
807
00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:28,998
So whether she went at dusk
or whether she went at night,
808
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:30,834
that's a huge deal.
809
00:37:30,875 --> 00:37:34,546
Jennifer was determined
to have died,
810
00:37:34,587 --> 00:37:36,673
like, in the early
morning hours,
811
00:37:36,715 --> 00:37:39,300
which means five, six hours.
812
00:37:39,342 --> 00:37:41,136
Seems like a lot of time.
813
00:37:41,177 --> 00:37:45,181
But if you translate
that as "I went at night,
814
00:37:45,223 --> 00:37:47,851
I could have gone
at 9:00 or 10:00," then,
815
00:37:47,892 --> 00:37:50,603
you know, that's only two hours
between the time I went
816
00:37:50,645 --> 00:37:53,732
and the time
Jennifer passed away.
817
00:37:53,773 --> 00:37:55,692
Jennifer's grieving family,
818
00:37:55,734 --> 00:37:58,111
who flew into the country
for the trial,
819
00:37:58,153 --> 00:38:00,488
holds onto hope for justice.
820
00:38:02,407 --> 00:38:04,868
- I can still to this day
remember
821
00:38:04,909 --> 00:38:07,871
I warned the mother
that we were about to
822
00:38:07,912 --> 00:38:13,418
get into the bad part--
the crime scene.
823
00:38:13,460 --> 00:38:15,962
And she said she wanted
to sit there.
824
00:38:16,004 --> 00:38:18,923
And even though the pictures
were not that close to them,
825
00:38:18,965 --> 00:38:23,386
I can remember her running out
of the courtroom
826
00:38:23,428 --> 00:38:27,891
and screaming--
howling would be the word--
827
00:38:27,932 --> 00:38:29,893
in agony.
828
00:38:29,934 --> 00:38:31,436
I can still sense it.
829
00:38:31,478 --> 00:38:33,229
This is, what, 20 years later?
830
00:38:33,271 --> 00:38:34,814
Through the double doors,
831
00:38:34,856 --> 00:38:36,566
she was in the hallway
screaming
832
00:38:36,608 --> 00:38:39,069
and howling about in pain,
833
00:38:39,110 --> 00:38:41,738
that we had to take a break
inside the jury room.
834
00:38:41,780 --> 00:38:42,989
I mean, it's painful
for me to talk--
835
00:38:43,031 --> 00:38:46,451
I'm reliving this,
and I'm not enjoying it.
836
00:38:46,493 --> 00:38:49,079
It's something
you never forget.
837
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,415
narrator: It's been two years
since the secret relationship
838
00:38:52,457 --> 00:38:54,584
between Jim Peng
and Jennifer Ji
839
00:38:54,626 --> 00:38:57,003
ended in murderous revenge.
840
00:38:57,045 --> 00:39:00,090
Now will a jury's deliberation
for justice
841
00:39:00,131 --> 00:39:03,718
hinge on their feelings toward
Jim's wife and mistress?
842
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,930
- The jury hung 10-2 for guilt.
843
00:39:06,971 --> 00:39:09,557
Lisa was betrayed
by her husband.
844
00:39:09,599 --> 00:39:11,434
He committed adultery.
845
00:39:11,476 --> 00:39:14,020
He betrayed her and her family.
846
00:39:14,062 --> 00:39:17,023
I felt sorry for Lisa Peng.
847
00:39:17,065 --> 00:39:20,944
The jury cried when they
returned the verdict.
848
00:39:20,985 --> 00:39:22,779
Emotion takes over.
849
00:39:22,821 --> 00:39:25,448
It doesn't matter
how much evidence you have,
850
00:39:25,490 --> 00:39:28,368
there's always emotion
that jurors react to.
851
00:39:28,410 --> 00:39:31,579
And if you can't overcome
that emotional reaction,
852
00:39:31,621 --> 00:39:34,499
you have a hung jury.
853
00:39:34,541 --> 00:39:37,293
- I thought for sure
there was enough evidence.
854
00:39:37,335 --> 00:39:40,797
I thought for sure it was
going to be a guilty verdict.
855
00:39:40,839 --> 00:39:43,550
Any time you have a mistrial
for a murder case,
856
00:39:43,591 --> 00:39:45,427
you know, it's gonna
automatically be appealed,
857
00:39:45,468 --> 00:39:46,845
and it's going to have
a second trial.
858
00:39:49,180 --> 00:39:53,101
narrator: A second trial in
1996 gives a different jury
859
00:39:53,143 --> 00:39:55,437
a chance to honor the memory
of Jennifer
860
00:39:55,478 --> 00:39:56,855
and her son, Kevin.
861
00:39:56,896 --> 00:39:58,481
- There's a lot of interest
in this case.
862
00:39:58,523 --> 00:40:00,233
There's the usual coverage
863
00:40:00,275 --> 00:40:02,736
from Southern California
outlets,
864
00:40:02,777 --> 00:40:04,070
but there's more than that.
865
00:40:04,112 --> 00:40:06,698
There's also the international
media coverage.
866
00:40:06,740 --> 00:40:10,243
- This case was treated
by the Asian population,
867
00:40:10,285 --> 00:40:12,996
the Asian newspapers,
like the OJ Simpson trial.
868
00:40:13,038 --> 00:40:15,790
[tense music]
869
00:40:15,832 --> 00:40:17,792
The second trial
got reassigned
870
00:40:17,834 --> 00:40:19,294
to a different judge,
871
00:40:19,336 --> 00:40:21,629
but there wasn't much different
about the trial itself.
872
00:40:21,671 --> 00:40:24,674
Same lawyers on both sides.
873
00:40:24,716 --> 00:40:27,302
When you try a case
a second time,
874
00:40:27,344 --> 00:40:29,387
what you have
is prior testimony
875
00:40:29,429 --> 00:40:31,681
of all the witnesses
you're calling.
876
00:40:31,723 --> 00:40:34,267
So you have more information
877
00:40:34,309 --> 00:40:37,312
that's being brought in
in the second trial.
878
00:40:37,354 --> 00:40:38,980
Verdict is guilty.
879
00:40:39,022 --> 00:40:42,192
- She was given
life without parole in prison
880
00:40:42,233 --> 00:40:44,444
for second-degree murder.
881
00:40:44,486 --> 00:40:47,614
[Lisa crying]
882
00:40:49,616 --> 00:40:51,201
In one way I was happy for it.
883
00:40:51,242 --> 00:40:52,869
It was like, "Okay,
at least she's gonna be
884
00:40:52,911 --> 00:40:55,205
going to prison
for the rest of her life."
885
00:40:55,246 --> 00:40:58,166
Eventually, that was even
overturned on an appeal.
886
00:40:58,208 --> 00:40:59,459
That was the hardest part,
887
00:40:59,501 --> 00:41:00,919
when it was overturned
on appeal.
888
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:02,337
I thought to myself
at the time, it's like,
889
00:41:02,379 --> 00:41:05,799
"How many times does this
have to be tried in court?"
890
00:41:12,889 --> 00:41:14,599
- We had to have a new trial.
891
00:41:14,641 --> 00:41:18,687
The third one,
the jury came back hung.
892
00:41:20,230 --> 00:41:22,774
- Bob Molko, he decided
at this point,
893
00:41:22,816 --> 00:41:24,484
probably the safest
and best thing to do
894
00:41:24,526 --> 00:41:26,986
is go for a plea bargain.
895
00:41:27,028 --> 00:41:29,906
- She was released,
and I think she promised
896
00:41:29,948 --> 00:41:32,701
she'll never enter
the United States again.
897
00:41:32,742 --> 00:41:36,454
narrator: In June of 2001,
honoring the plea deal,
898
00:41:36,496 --> 00:41:38,373
Lisa is deported to Taiwan
899
00:41:38,415 --> 00:41:41,418
and is never to set foot
on American soil again.
900
00:41:41,459 --> 00:41:45,714
A bittersweet result
for Jennifer Ji's family.
901
00:41:45,755 --> 00:41:47,799
- She is on her way back
to Taiwan.
902
00:41:47,841 --> 00:41:50,218
And this is a situation
903
00:41:50,260 --> 00:41:52,137
that leaves a lot of people
frustrated.
904
00:41:52,178 --> 00:41:55,265
They were hoping
for a very different outcome.
905
00:41:55,306 --> 00:41:58,476
- I had mixed feelings
about Lisa Peng.
906
00:41:58,518 --> 00:42:00,770
She had been wronged
by her husband,
907
00:42:00,812 --> 00:42:04,482
but she was responsible
for this.
908
00:42:04,524 --> 00:42:07,694
That was eight years
of my life.
909
00:42:07,736 --> 00:42:10,947
I have no clue
where Lisa Peng is.
910
00:42:10,989 --> 00:42:16,161
And frankly, I don't care.
911
00:42:16,202 --> 00:42:18,830
- Honestly, I think it's
an empty victory for him.
912
00:42:18,872 --> 00:42:21,249
From a DA's perspective,
it's still a win.
913
00:42:21,291 --> 00:42:22,959
Not the win
they were looking for,
914
00:42:23,001 --> 00:42:26,463
not the win that I think
most people expected.
915
00:42:26,504 --> 00:42:30,508
I think she got off
extremely easy.
916
00:42:30,550 --> 00:42:31,926
- It's easy when looking
at this case
917
00:42:31,968 --> 00:42:34,471
to get caught up
in the fate of Lisa,
918
00:42:34,512 --> 00:42:39,225
but what about the possible
life that Kevin could have had?
919
00:42:39,267 --> 00:42:41,394
He would have been
28 years old now.
920
00:42:41,436 --> 00:42:44,230
Jennifer would have
seen him grow up.
921
00:42:44,272 --> 00:42:46,441
[dramatic music]
922
00:42:46,483 --> 00:42:48,443
- It's something that's always
gonna haunt you,
923
00:42:48,485 --> 00:42:50,236
especially as an investigator,
you know,
924
00:42:50,278 --> 00:42:52,989
as the first person
on the scene.
925
00:42:53,031 --> 00:42:54,491
This brings up
a lot of memories.
926
00:42:54,532 --> 00:42:57,369
It makes me extremely sad.
927
00:42:57,410 --> 00:42:59,954
- Jennifer Ji, who had
a college education.
928
00:42:59,996 --> 00:43:01,706
Who had a great future
in front of her.
929
00:43:01,748 --> 00:43:04,834
She was smart.
She was talented.
930
00:43:04,876 --> 00:43:08,755
I can't imagine,
you know, losing a child.
931
00:43:08,797 --> 00:43:13,426
It must have been
devastating to the parents.
932
00:43:13,468 --> 00:43:18,014
- Lisa Peng's family
knows what she did.
933
00:43:18,056 --> 00:43:20,684
So she's not walking up
with her head high
934
00:43:20,725 --> 00:43:22,602
that she did the right thing.
935
00:43:22,644 --> 00:43:26,898
It's awful,
but you need finality.
936
00:43:26,940 --> 00:43:29,609
Accountability is--
she was held accountable.
937
00:43:29,651 --> 00:43:32,570
She admitted her guilt.
She did it.
938
00:43:32,612 --> 00:43:36,533
That gives the victim's family
some satisfaction.
939
00:43:36,574 --> 00:43:39,536
[somber music]
940
00:43:39,577 --> 00:43:42,580
* *