Hollister resident Yoon “Clara” Ji’s husband and his alleged mistress have been convicted in relation to the woman’s 2017 death, according to authorities.
On March 19, following a trial at San Benito County Superior Courthouse, a jury found Sang Ji, 50, guilty of first degree murder. Sang Ji is Yoon Ji’s former husband. The couple owned Hollister Laundromat before Yoon Ji’s death.
On Jan. 24, Jung Choi, 46, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in relation to Yoon Ji’s death. Jung Choi was allegedly Sang Ji’s mistress at the time of the homicide.
Sang Ji and Choi were arrested in December 2017, four days after one of Ji’s daughters filed a missing person’s report for their mother, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office. The daughter had contacted the sheriff’s office after becoming suspicious of Ji’s claim that his wife had gone to South Korea to care for her ailing mother.
After serving a series of search warrants and conducting a number of interviews, investigators found Yoon Ji’s body Dec. 20, 2017, in a ravine on the 2300 block of Salinas Grade Road near San Juan Bautista, authorities said.
Sheriff’s Capt. Eric Taylor was the investigating officer in the case, and San Benito County Deputy District Attorney Joel Buckingham prosecuted the case in court.
“The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office and San Benito County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the jury for its time, service, and dedication in this complex case,” reads a press release from the sheriff’s office.
Assisting in the investigation were the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office, FBI, California Office of Emergency Services Human Remains Team, Northern California Regional Intelligence Center and California DOJ Laboratories.
“Yoon ‘Clara’ Ji was a beloved mother, and beloved member of our community; her loss is felt daily,” reads the sheriff’s press release.
