Authorities have captured Ho “Alex” Shin, 43, who fled the country after allegedly killing a 22-year-old man in Queens more than two decades ago. Shin was apprehended in South Korea and extradited back to New York to face charges in one of the city’s oldest unsolved murder cases.
The fatal incident occurred on January 6, 2002, in a Flushing apartment. According to prosecutors, Shin attacked Hyun Dae Kim following a confrontation described as a “perceived act of disrespect.” After briefly leaving the apartment, Shin reportedly contacted a 16-year-old and instructed him to bring knives. The pair then returned and stabbed Kim multiple times. Kim’s friend, Hyun Suk Yu, tried to intervene and was also wounded but survived. Kim was pronounced dead at a hospital in Suffolk County.
The 16-year-old accomplice was arrested the same day and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Shin, however, vanished, evading authorities for more than 24 years. His location remained unknown until December 2025, when law enforcement officials in coordination with South Korean authorities identified and detained him.
Shin was transported to New York by the U.S. Marshals Service and arraigned on Friday. He faces multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Supreme Court Justice Jessica Earle-Gargan remanded Shin into custody, with a return court date set for February 17. If convicted, he could face 50 years to life in prison.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz emphasized that time does not diminish accountability. “We do not give up on our victims or their families,” she said, highlighting the work of the DA’s Extraditions Unit and Homicide Bureau in collaboration with federal and international law enforcement.
The case marks one of the longest-running fugitive investigations in Queens history and underscores the persistence of law enforcement in pursuing justice for victims, even decades later.
