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1952
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Chol Soo Lee born in Korea.
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1964
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Chol Soo Lee immigrated to the United States.
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June 3, 1973
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Yip Yee Tak, a Wah Ching youth gang advisor, is gunned down in broad
daylight in Chinatown, San Francisco.
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June 7, 1973
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Chol Soo Lee arrested entering the hotel where he lives.
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June 11, 1973
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Chol Soo Lee stands in line-up at the Hall of Justice. Three witnesses
select Lee.
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June 28, 1973
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Based on the line-up identification, Chol Soo Lee is held in San Francisco
for the murder of Yip Yee Tak.
Court appoints public defender, Clifford Gould, to represent Lee. |
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April 2, 1974
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San Francisco County Superior Court moves the trial to
Sacramento.
Clifford Gould withdraws from the case. Hamilton L. Hintz, a private attorney, is appointed to defend Chol Soo Lee. |
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June 3, 1974
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Murder trial begins in Sacramento County Superior Court, Judge Robert W.
Cole presiding.
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June 19, 1974
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Chol Soo Lee convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Sent to Deuel Vocational Institute in Tracy. |
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March 1977
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Prison authorities erroneously classify Chol Soo Lee as member of Nuestra
Familia, a Latino prison gang.
Chol Soo Lee appeals the classification and is officially cleared of having any gang affiliation. |
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October 8, 1977
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Chol Soo Lee kills Morrison Needham in a prison yard altercation.
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November 22, 1977
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Kyung Won Lee contacts Chol Soo Lee regarding his situation.
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December 1977
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Leonard Tauman, San Joaquin County Public Defender, assigned to Chol Soo
Lee to defend second murder case.
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January 29, 1978
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The first of two articles by Kyung Won Lee appears in the Sacramento Union
questioning the verdict in the first case.
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February 1978
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A Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee is formed in response to the Kyung Won Lee
articles.
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July 7, 1978
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Petition filed for a writ of Habeas Corpus to reopen the first murder
case.
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July 1978
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Chol Soo Lee takes a two-day lie-detector test conducted by Cleve
Backster.
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September 15, 1978
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The Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee hires Chicago Seven defense attorney,
Leonard Weinglass.
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October 20, 1978
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Hearing for petition for a writ of Habeas Corpus begins in Sacramento
County Superior Court, Judge Lawrence K. Karlton presiding.
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January 15, 1979
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Trial begins on the second murder case in San Joaquin Superior Court, Judge
Chris Papas presiding.
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February 2, 1979
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Judge Karlton overturns Chinatown conviction based on the suppression of
material evidence
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March 12, 1979
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Jury convicts Chol Soo Lee of first-degree murder for the death of
Needham.
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March 22, 1979
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Jury sentences Chol Soo Lee to death.
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May 14, 1979
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Judge Papas upholds the verdict and confirms it.
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March 21, 1980
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Sacramento District Court of Appeals upholds writ of habeas corpus. Orders
that the conviction for the first case be set aside.
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July 21, 1980
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San Francisco County Superior Court judge Robert W. Cole sets trial date
for retrial of the first case.
Leonard Weinglass confirmed as Chol Soo Lee’s court-appointed defense attorney. |
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February 1982
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Lead defense attorney Leonard Weinglass forced to withdraw for reasons of
time and health.
Attorneys Tony Serra and Stuart Hanlon join the defense team |
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August 11, 1982
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Retrial of the first case begins.
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September 3, 1982
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San Francisco County Superior Court jury acquits Chol Soo Lee of the murder
of Yip Yee Tak.
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January 14, 1983
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California’s 3rd District Court of Appeal reversed conviction for
Needham stabbing.
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March 28, 1983
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San Joaquin County Superior Court judge K. Peter Saiers released on
property bond of $236,262.
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August 10, 1983
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Chol Soo Lee accepts a plea bargain and is released.
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