Almost 20 years ago, Irvine, California, police referred to Jeen Han as an “evil twin” who plotted to kill her “good twin,” Sunny Han. Jeen, 43, has spent 19 years behind bars following her conviction for the crime, but she could be a free woman very soon.
The California Board of Parole has recommended that Jeen, also known as Gina, be released from the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, according to the Los Angeles Times .
In 1998, Jeen, along with two teenage accomplices, was convicted of conspiring to murder Sunny in a 1996 attack. Sunny’s roommate, Helen Kim, was bound and gagged alongside Sunny during the crime, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jeen’s conspirators, Archie Bryant, 18, and John Sayarath, 16, gained entry into Sunny’s apartment by convincing roommate Helen they were selling magazines. Sunny was in her bedroom at the time when she heard Helen fighting with the teens, so she called 911 before Bryant and Sayarath could enter and restrain her.
Bryant received 16 years in prison for the crime, while Sayarath was sentenced to eight, according to Newsweek .
According to the Los Angeles Times , prosecutors opposed to Jeen’s release emphasized in a letter last week that Sunny and Helen would both be dead if Sunny had not “miraculously” had a “cell phone on her person” to call for help when her sister’s “accomplices stormed the apartment.”
Jeen ‘Gina’ Han has served 19 years after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder https://t.co/1rJp3eitqI
— KOGA AM930 (@am930koga) November 29, 2017
Jeen has always insisted she did not want to kill Sunny, and according to the Los Angeles Times , she spoke out in court saying the following.
“I am deeply sorry for everything that has happened… I am truly sorry… despite the circumstances, I had absolutely no intent to kill my twin sister. Sunny is my flesh and blood… I just want my sister to know that I love her very much.”
Prior to the attack on Sunny, the “good twin” had helped law enforcement during a theft prosecution against Jeen for stealing cash and credit cards from individuals in the San Diego region, according to KTLA 5 .
Ep 13 is out right NOW! It’s about twins Sunny & Jeen Han, not Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. ? But that teaser Tuesday was kind of related yeah? pic.twitter.com/90gXejOMGr
— It’sAboutDamnCrime (@IADCpodcast) May 17, 2017
Although the parole board has recommended Jeen for release, the final decision on whether she leaves prison is in the hands of California Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Los Angeles Times reports that a parole board psychologist diagnosed Jeen as having “antisocial traits” and borderline personality disorder. Prosecutors have noted that the psychologist believes Jeen is dangerous and poses a threat to society at large.
Jeen contends that she has cultivated relationships with men in both the United States and abroad and has plans after she leaves prison. Prosecutors see this as Jeen’s “continued ability to manipulate,” saying after only a year of corresponding with one man in England, Jeen convinced him to give her $100,000, according to the Los Angeles Times . In a letter to Gov. Brown, Deputy District Attorney Nikki Chambers wrote that Jeen is “still flexing the manipulation muscles that she used when she recruited two young men to murder her sister…”
