Judge lets murder suspect act as own attorney at trial

A man accused of trying to kill his mother and fatally stabbing her boyfriend can act as his own lawyer at trial, a judge decided Friday.

Chan Park was recently found competent to stand trial after he spent about three months at Lake’s Crossing Center, the state’s maximum-security psychiatric facility in Sparks.

He is charged in the 2019 slaying of 64-year-old Kevin Hackett, along with the kidnapping and attempted murder of his mother, So Kim.

Last week, the 34-year-old Park, a South Korean citizen, filed a hand-written motion to fire his attorney and represent himself.

“The defendant is confident in his ability to construct cogent arguments and defend his case at trial with learning of legal procedures and rules from research material and aid provided by the court with sufficient preparation time,” Park wrote. “Effects will continue to be made to submit legal papers with correct legal writings and citations as possible within custody under layman’s form.”

He faces five counts of the most serious felony charges — murder, attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping and two counts of abuse of an elderly person resulting in bodily harm or death — and the possibility of life in prison.

In April 2019, Park was found covered in blood on a sofa inside a Spring Valley home, where his mother was duct taped, bleeding and beaten, and Hackett was suffering from multiple stab wounds in a car in a nearby driveway, according to court documents. Hackett died about a month later.

Park’s mother testified that she did not remember being attacked.

As Park’s case moved through the court system, he has had three different attorneys, including a public defender and two veteran criminal defense lawyers.

On Friday, under what’s known as a Faretta canvas, District Judge Tierra Jones asked Park a long series of questions to determine whether he understood the ramifications of representing himself.

At the end of the hearing, Jones suggested that may not be a good idea.

“It’s almost always unwise for a defendant on trial to try and represent themselves, because you are not familiar with the law, you are not familiar with the handling of a trial, you are not familiar with the court procedures, you are not familiar with the rules of evidence, you are not familiar with the punishment you face, you don’t know the elements of the crimes with which you are charged,” she said. “So I would strongly urge you not to try to represent yourself.”

Yet Park insisted on acting as his own attorney.

“Have you ever heard that old saying that any man who’s his own lawyer has a fool for a client?” the judge asked.

Park momentarily paused before responding.

“Uh, I think I read it in the dictionary. I think I passed it,” he said. “I guess it’s implied that you’re a fool for representing yourself.”

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.