In December 2011, 80-year-old Il Jae Kim was found dead in his Anaheim apartment. Nearly 15 years later, detectives have taken a 34-year-old man into custody on suspicion of Kim’s murder.
Santa Ana man Mike Nunez was charged by the District Attorney’s office on Thursday, Oct. 8 with murder, along with an enhanced charge of personally using a deadly weapon, according to court records.
Nunez allegedly killed Kim in his apartment at 225 S. Western Ave., where Anaheim police found Kim dead on Dec. 15, 2011, according to Anaheim police. At the time, family members told police that they feared for Kim’s safety, prompting a welfare check at his apartment.
Following the discovery of the body, Anaheim detectives collected evidence and pursued various leads, but the case went cold.
Detectives began to investigate the case again in March 2026 with the help of the Orange County Crime Lab, a forensic division that is part of the sheriff’s department and works with all law enforcement agencies in the county.
Harnessing advances in forensic DNA technology, investigators reexamined the evidence and ultimately identified Nunez as the murder suspect, according to Anaheim police.
The investigation remains ongoing, so details about what pieces of evidence were key in tracking down Nunez are not being released at this time, Anaheim police Sgt. Eric Anderson said.
Anaheim police investigators arrested Nunez on Tuesday, Oct. 6 in Santa Ana, and he is being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
Nunez is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Thursday, Oct. 29.