Gilberts man to argue self-defense in August slaying

A judge Friday lowered bail for Su Won Kil, a 42-year-old Gilberts man accused of shooting to death a man who he'd taken in.

Kil was defending himself from a Taser attack and attempted robbery by Dae Hae Kwak on Aug. 18 at Kil's home in the 300 block of Evergreen Circle, said defense attorney Patrick Crimmins.

“This, at the very least, is a self-defense case,” said Crimmins. “He believes he was defending himself, struggling for his own survival.”

Kwak, a 61-year-old South Korean national who worked as an independent cabdriver, began staying with Kil after he went to the Cornerstone Church, 1001 Summit St., Elgin.

Kil, a church choir member who had recently retired as an information technology worker at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, volunteered and took Kwak into his home in early 2010, Crimmins said.

Judge Robert Mueller lowered Kil's bail from $2 million to $350,000. He must post 10 percent of that, surrender his passport and Firearm Owner's Identification card if he is to be free while awaiting trial for first-degree murder.

Crimmins argued that Kil had no prior criminal history, called 911 himself that morning, and had significant support from friends and church members.

“All the members of the church love him,” said Dr. Jae Ihm, a retired surgeon who supports Kil's innocence. “I regard him as part of my family.”

Prosecutor Adam Katz argued that Kil was a flight risk.

Katz noted that Kil received U.S. citizenship only a year before the shooting, didn't have any family or relatives in the United States and planned to go to China in September 2010 to visit a Korean woman who he met on the Internet who doing missionary work in China.

St. Charles police Cmdr. Jerry Gatlin, who is a member of the Kane County Major Crime Task Force that investigated the scene, also noted that Kil had at least six handguns and rifles in the home, including an ammunition loader mounted to his kitchen counter and a scoped rifle on a tripod.

Crimmins noted that Kil was a gun enthusiast who likes target shooting. Kil bought all the guns legally and they are in the hands of Gilberts police now, Crimmins said.

As of Friday afternoon, Kil remained in jail. He is due in court again on Jan. 14.