ASU professor’s body found in dump; teens held
PHOENIX – Authorities say two Louisiana teens have been arrested in the killing of an Arizona State University professor whose body has been found in a landfill.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both age 18, have been extradited and booked into a Phoenix jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, armed robbery and theft of means of transportation.
They are each being held on a $1 million bond. It was not immediately known if they had attorneys to comment on the charges.
Jun Seok Chae, a professor of engineering, was first reported missing to police on March 25 after not returning home. Authorities found his remains along with other evidence in a Surprise landfill on July 17. His body was positively identified by the county medical examiner.
Sheriff’s deputies say Shreveport, Louisiana police contacted them March 30 after encountering the suspects. Shreveport police determined the vehicle they were using belonged to the victim.
Chae was reported missing to the ASU Police Department after he did not return home from work. On March 30, Maricopa County sheriff’s detectives were contacted by the by Shreveport, Louisiana Police Department.
Investigators say questioning of the suspects led them to believe that Chae had been killed and his body placed in a dumpster in metro Phoenix. Detectives say they searched the landfill between mid-May and mid-July.