Diamond Bar

Live-in caretaker charged with murder in deaths of two women at Diamond Bar care home

The women, ages 83 and 75, died Saturday at a care home in the community east of Los Angeles.

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A live-in caretaker accused of killing two women in a Diamond Bar care home was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder.

Arraignment for Jianchun Li, 40, was scheduled for Wednesday. He remains jailed in lieu of $4 million bail, according to sheriff's inmate records.

Li is suspected in the Saturday deaths of Hee Sook Park, 83, and Monica Lee, 75, at a Happy Home Care facility in the 23800 block of Sapphire Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office.

Details about causes of the deaths and a motive were not immediately available. After the bodies were discovered, sheriff's investigators foul play was suspected.

Both victims died at the scene, where Li was employed as a live-in caretaker at the facility.

Neighbors said they were shocked at the crime scene. Ivonne Trypucko, spoke with NBCLA Saturday.

“That is absolutely just heart-wrenching for me," Trypucko said. "I can’t believe that. I just can’t. The home, the owners, have had issues with the city in the past because they were running Airbnbs about 2019... The neighbors here had it with that, and I guess they quickly turned it around into the home health care."

Neighbors said the home housed six seniors and some workers.

"The tragic and brutal murders of these two elderly women at Happy Home Care are a stark reminder of the need for increased vigilance and scrutiny in our care facilities," Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. "A person responsible for their care is now charged in their murders. We must ensure that all caretakers are held accountable for their actions. Our hearts go out to the families of these victims and we will work tirelessly to bring them the justice they deserve."

It was not immediately clear whether Li had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The sheriff's Homicide Bureau urged anyone with information about the deaths to call them at 323-890-5500. Tipsters can also contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or www.lacrimestoppers.org.

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