Monday, February 25, 2008

Ian Mercado Apparently Is Lone Witness To Carnage in Orland and Nicole Cho Household Update 3-14-08


Carnage caused by the deterioration of the family unit continues. Ian Mercado, a 14-year-old boy apparently was the lone survivor of what police believe was a murder-suicide. Five of the boys family members are dead. A neighbor called 911 late Saturday to report gun shots. When police arrived, , the teen said his father had shot him and his brother. The condo complex is located in Yorba Linda, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Three children were dead from gunshot wounds. The mother was found dead on the doorstep, according to Lt. Jack Conklin of the Brea Police Department. Authorities believe the father was the gunman. Dead are Orland Cho, 41; Maricel Cho, 39; Nicole Cho, 9; Kathleen Cho, 8; and Christopher Cho, 5. The surviving teen, Ian Mercado, is believed to be the woman's son from a previous relationship.

Ian Mercado, was shot in the lower torso and underwent surgery at a hospital. Police can't interview him until Monday because he remained sedated. He gave police a brief statement at the scene, recounting what he told the 911 dispatcher. He was unaware that his mother and sisters had also been shot.

Jun Cho, a cousin, apparently told the A.P. that Orland Cho was overworked and frustrated with a troubled marriage. Cho apparently grew up in the Philippines. Cho worked long hours in the cargo department at Los Angeles International Airport. Later he worked selling cell phones and life insurance. According to his cousin, he could never make his wife happy. But Jun Cho told the newspapers, "He loved his kids... They were the most precious thing that ever happened to him."

Update 3-14-08: According to police, “Everything points so far that it was (the stepfather) who pulled the trigger, but we want to be sure the physical evidence supports what his testimony is."Apparently more than five shots were fired. Mercado apparently had a wound on one of his hands in addition to his torso. A neighbor reported shots fired and two minutes later Mercado called 911, saying his father shot him and his brother.Police found three children and two adults dead.

Los Angeles County and Orange County records indicate that Orland Cho was charged with fraud and possessing a gun whose identifying marks had been removed in 1994, but both cases were dismissed. He was charged with speeding and driving under the influence in 1995; he was convicted on the speeding charge but the DUI was dismissed.

The couple apparently separated in 2004. Maricel apparently applied for welfare assistance; however, it was determined that Orland was able to pay child support. The agency apparently got Cho to agree to pay back the payments the county had made to his family.

Nicole, Kathleen and Christopher attended Mabel Paine Elementary School. Nicole, a fourth-grader, excelled in every subject especially math. Kathleen, a straight-A third-grader, excelled in art. Christopher, a kindergartner, had recently received a certificate for good behavior. Ian, an eighth-grader at Yorba Linda Middle School, is a good student who is popular.

Neighbor Debbie Bellerose told KCLA9 TV. “How bad can life be, but there are things that you can do to help yourself, it doesn’t have to come to this." Yorba Linda is a an almost crime-free suburb in Orange County. The city rarely has a single homicide in a year. CNN lists the city as the 21st best place in the US (the second highest-ranked California city in the survey.) Yorba Linda is also the richest US city according to Census data showing median household income of $121,075. Yorba Linda may never be the same.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

This has the whole L.A. community in disbelief. This was a really nice suburb.

Anonymous said...

World is falling apart!

Ms Calabaza said...

la:
I guess madness can happen in any neighborhood. This is just horrible.

Anonymous said...

he was a good friend and we all will miss him at ylms

get well

-Eloy
-Mike

Anonymous said...

makes it hard to sleep at night when you can't even feel safe from your own parent...

Anonymous said...

Not all families are unsafe. Take a deep breath and move on...

Legal Pub said...

Jun Cho, a cousin, apparently told the A.P. that Orland Cho was overworked and frustrated with a troubled marriage. Cho apparently grew up in the Philippines. Cho worked long hours in the cargo department at Los Angeles International Airport. Later he worked selling cell phones and life insurance. According to his cousin, he could never make his wife happy. But Jun Cho told the newspapers, "He loved his kids... They were the most precious thing that ever happened to him."

Anonymous said...

Get better Ian

Anonymous said...

Tragic!

Anonymous said...

L.A. is vulnerable to tragedy just like every where else. The Dude apparently felt like his hard work was not appreciated by his wife.

Divorce would have been better then killing....

Anonymous said...

Hey Ian, hope you get better!

-Brandon

Anonymous said...

Feel better Ian!
-Person from YLMS

Anonymous said...

Ian, we are all pulling for you to get better real soon!

Anonymous said...

Ditto, Ian!

Legal Pub said...

The feeling of not being appreciated can some times be a fatal force. May the family R.I.P. May Ian have a speedy recovery.

Anonymous said...

I know Maricel personally. If I remember well, she was such a sweet lady.Her husband's family gave her a hard time and has not been nice to her and with her death, they still want to picture her as not appreciative of her husband. She did her share of working hard and raising the kids. Please do not try to justify Orland's crime . She and the kids didn't deserve to die this way,he should have just did it to himself.

Legal Pub said...

One of the purposes of this forum is for people to have the opportunity to intelligently discuss both sides of the story. Up until the last comment, no one was really offering the wife's side. In any event, no one ever deserves to be murdered. There is no justification, only attempts at partial explanations meant to help explain how some one may have went so far astray as to kill his loved ones.

Cleary this was tragic.

Anonymous said...

If a spouse is bad news, that is what divorce is for... Never an excuse to kill some one.

Legal Pub said...

Update 3-14-08: According to police, “Everything points so far that it was (the stepfather) who pulled the trigger, but we want to be sure the physical evidence supports what his testimony is."Apparently more than five shots were fired. Mercado apparently had a wound on one of his hands in addition to his torso. A neighbor reported shots fired and two minutes later Mercado called 911, saying his father shot him and his brother.Police found three children and two adults dead.

Los Angeles County and Orange County records indicate that Orland Cho was charged with fraud and possessing a gun whose identifying marks had been removed in 1994, but both cases were dismissed. He was charged with speeding and driving under the influence in 1995; he was convicted on the speeding charge but the DUI was dismissed.

The couple apparently separated in 2004. Maricel apparently applied for welfare assistance; however, it was determined that Orland was able to pay child support. The agency apparently got Cho to agree to pay back the payments the county had made to his family.

Nicole, Kathleen and Christopher attended Mabel Paine Elementary School. Nicole, a fourth-grader, excelled in every subject especially math. Kathleen, a straight-A third-grader, excelled in art. Christopher, a kindergartner, had recently received a certificate for good behavior. Ian, an eighth-grader at Yorba Linda Middle School, is a good student who is popular.

Neighbor Debbie Bellerose told KCLA9 TV. “How bad can life be, but there are things that you can do to help yourself, it doesn’t have to come to this." Yorba Linda is a an almost crime-free suburb in Orange County. The city rarely has a single homicide in a year. CNN lists the city as the 21st best place in the US (the second highest-ranked California city in the survey.) Yorba Linda is also the richest US city according to Census data showing median household income of $121,075. Yorba Linda may never be the same.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone considered that Ian was responsible for the murders and then shot himself to make it look like the step-father commited the crimes?

Anonymous said...

Police certainly investigated the matter and concluded otherwise...

Anonymous said...

please, someone i know was standing there when there was an accidental death FROM A PUNCH GIVEN BY SOMEONE ELSE and ran off, yet he went to thhe police and deposed
now they are using his deposition against him and want to give me a felony charge
is that fair? he should be charged with misdemeanour ?
WHAT DO YOU THINK

Legal Pub said...

What does this have to do with Ian Mercado thread?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Let's start suing spammers that interrupt threads!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Legal Pub said...

Take note: We will be suing spammers!

Anonymous said...

Poor boy must be permanently traumatized by this terrifying drama.

Legal Pub said...

Theinvestblog.com

You will be billed $350.00 for repeated spamming. That is our charge for advertising. Send your credit card information to Legalpub@legalpub.net or see you in court!