Double homicide trial starts in Barstow

BARSTOW — Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of Monterey Park man who police believe murdered two friends and then dumped their burned bodies in desert area in Lenwood in 2003.

Kenden Ige, 23, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Haang “Edward” Chin, 23, of Arcadia, and Cheuk “Alan” Cheung, 22, of El Monte after his arrest in 2004.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Brown said the prosecution and defense will begin interviewing potential jurors next week. He expects to seat a jury by the beginning of October and then start the arguments in the trial. Brown said the amount of evidence in the case and its expected length makes it difficult to find a jury.

“It’s a lengthy trial, and it’s going to take a while to find a jury who can sit through it,” he said. “It’s a vicious circle; the longer the case, the longer it takes to find a jury.”

Brown said the gravity of the case also hampers the jury selection process. In addition to two courts of murder, Ige is charged with two special allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait. In earlier reports, Brown said if found guilty, Ige could face 25 years to life in prison for each count.

During a preliminary hearing in 2005, Det. Leo Griego of the Barstow Police Department testified that the two bodies were found badly burned near Interstate 15 and Lenwood Road. Cheung had a wire wrapped around his neck, and both had plastic on the head and face. Griego said the two men died from suffocation.

In October 2003, two men found Cheung’s wallet, identification and other personal items covered with blood in Newberry Springs after they went to investigate a fire they saw. The men saw three men leave in two cars from the scene of the fire. Griego testified that one fit a description of Ige’s mother’s car. The other, believed to be Cheung’s car, was found by Mexican police in Tijuana in November 2003.

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