Brother of slain shopkeeper sorry he helped bring him from Korea to Chicago

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Updated: February 15, 2012 8:07AM

John Chung helped bring his younger brother to the United States from their native Korea so he and his family could enjoy a better life.

But In Taik “James” Jung’s American dreams were snuffed out when he was shot dead by two military-veterans-turned-thieves during a botched robbery at his West Side store.

Jung’s wife was so heartbroken, she eventually sold her house and moved back to Korea with her daughter.

“He was my own family in the U.S. and I now regret [and think] whether he would have lived a more fulfilled life in Korea,” Chung wrote in a victim impact statement that was read before the fourth man responsible for Jung’s murder was sentenced to 100 years in prison Friday.

Cook County Judge William Lacy said the slaying of the shopkeeper was one of the most “ice blooded crimes” he’s ever come across.

The judge lambasted Lee McGee, a 1991 Gulf War Army veteran, for enlisting the help of his nephew in the 2004 murder and for “laughing and joking” with Jung minutes before shooting him to death.

McGee also used the assistance of his girlfriend, who worked at Best Fit clothing in the 4000 block of West Madison, to remove the business’ video surveillance tape before the 2004 botched robbery there.

But what Latorria Fields didn’t know was that the camera system she believed was broken had been fixed by her boss Jung, 50.

McGee, 44, wasn’t captured on camera but his nephew Pierre Cole, a soldier who served in Iraq, can be seen on the video shooting Jung.

McGee is off camera when he fires three bullets toward the store owner, sending him crashing into a heap of clothes, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Groth and Gregory Ahern.

“The killer was part of military and had a duty to protect people,” John Chung wrote of McGee in his statement Ahern read in court.

“How could someone change so drastically and do such a such a heinous crime against another human being? ... We all have only one life to live — who is going to return the life of my brother. I have lost faith in the military and people and feel like I will live in isolation forever.”

James Jung’s son, Patrick, who has remained in the area, said he was “happy” with the outcome of the case.

Cole, 29, is serving 50 years in prison for Jung’s murder.

Fields, 45, was sentenced in 2007 to 20 years in prison for her role in the slaying.

Another woman, 40-year-old Paula Turner, who also came into the store as a decoy, is serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery, Groth said.