Palolo man gets life term
with parole for killing
landlord with a can of food

Wesley Chong admits guilt in a case
arising from an eviction notice

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By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

A state judge sentenced a Palolo man, who admitted beating his landlord to death with a can of food, to life in prison yesterday with the possibility of parole.

In February, Wesley K. Chong, 48, pleaded guilty to manslaughter as part of a plea agreement. That allowed him to receive a mandatory minimum sentence of six years and eight months instead of the 15-year minimum he could have received had he been convicted of second-degree murder.

The decomposing body of Edgar Lum, 64, was found June 30 in his Palolo house on Kupaa Drive with the murder weapon -- a crushed rusty food can -- left on the patio floor.

Circuit Judge Karen Ahn also sentenced Chong to 10 years for burglary, to be served concurrently. The victim's family, who was not present in court, declined any restitution.

After sentencing, Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata shook Chong's hand, a move that is rarely if ever seen in court.

"He did admit guilt. He agreed to a life sentence. That's respectable. The crime was vicious but the responsibility taken was commendable," Takata said. "This is very unusual, especially for this type of charge."

Deputy Public Defender Todd Eddins told the judge his client turned himself in and cooperated with police and has acknowledged responsibility for the crime.

Chong said: "I know what I did was wrong. I apologize to the Lum family and everyone else involved."

Chong went to Lum's home on June 25 shortly after being served an eviction notice by a sheriff at 6:45 a.m. that day.

He turned himself in to police two days later and confessed he punched Lum in the face and struck him repeatedly in the head with a can.

According to police, Chong told them he had entered into an agreement to live rent-free or for a reduced rate in exchange for doing repairs on Lum's properties.