Man Charged in Fatal Stabbing at Maryland Church

by the Associated Press

URBANA, Md. (AP) — A Virginia man was charged Monday with stabbing a man to death and seriously wounding the man’s wife during a service at a Maryland church and retreat center on Sunday night.

Song Su Kim, 30, of Falls Church, Virginia, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree attempted murder and two counts of assault, according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a 911 call reporting the stabbing at the Anna Prayer Counseling and Retreat Center in Urbana, near Sugarloaf Mountain about 50 miles west of Baltimore, and found a “very bloody scene,” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said at a news conference late Sunday. The stabbing occurred as the service ended.

“There was a pretty gruesome scene, pretty bloody,” Jenkins said. “The stab and slashing injuries were pretty severe.”

A man died at the scene and his wife was in serious but stable condition at a Baltimore trauma center, Jenkins said. A motive wasn’t immediately clear.

“I wish I knew,” he said. “We don’t know at this point.”

The victim’s names have not been released. Spokeswoman Deputy First Class Amanda Hatcher said authorities were in touch with the Korean embassy to make sure family notifications have been made. She said the victims were from Korea, but authorities don’t know how long they’ve been in the United States.

After the stabbing, Jenkins said the suspect, who had been staying at the retreat center for about five days, called 911 and said he was on the road, on foot, “waiting to be arrested” but he did not say why. He was taken into custody without incident and made no other admissions, Jenkins said.

Deputies had been called to the facility Saturday, Jenkins said, when the same man was complaining about food at the center.

Investigators on the scene Monday searched for a weapon, Hatcher said.