Michelle Basch, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – A D.C. man has been arrested for the June murder of 64-year-old Hae Soon Lim, the beloved owner of Grace’s Deli on H Street NE.
Steven Vondell Williams, 46, is charged with second-degree murder.
Williams is from D.C., but was behind bars in another state when he was arrested Wednesday and returned to the District. At a Wednesday press conference, D.C. Police wouldn’t discuss Williams’ previous criminal record.
Williams is scheduled to appear in court in D.C. Thursday.
Lim, who many customers called “June,” was found dead inside her store June 14. She had been shot in the neck.
Investigators think Lim was killed in a robbery-gone-wrong that likely happened as she was opening the store that she owned for eight years.
“If you think about the fact that the motive in this case likely was robbery, to take a 64-year-old woman’s life in the course of taking money or property – absolutely senseless,” said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
DNA found on a gun holster left at the crime scene was key to the case, but Chief Lanier says more work needed to be done before an arrest could be made.
“It was frustrating for us knowing who the suspect was for some time and putting all the pieces together, but the work paid off,” Lanier said.
“This is an area that has been thriving in the last couple of years, and it was just devastating to the community, so I know this will bring a lot of relief to the area around H Street,” Lanier added.
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