A man who is charged with murder and arson in connection with his wife’s death at their San Marino home was has been freed from jail on bond.
Yoon Lai — whose bail had been set at $2.25 million at his first court appearance July 8 — was released from custody at 3:25 a.m. Sunday after the bond was posted, jail records show.
Lai appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday and was ordered to return to court Aug. 12. A date is expected to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.
He is charged with one count each of murder involving his 56-year-old wife, Irene Gaw-Lai, and arson of an inhabited structure or property.
Lai was arrested July 3 by homicide detectives in connection with the Jan. 6 fire, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
At Lai’s first court appearance July 8, Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian told a judge that authorities are alleging that Lai beat his wife to death and then tried to cover it up by setting the house on fire.
The prosecutor said the two had experienced “some marital discord,” telling the judge that cellular site data and surveillance video suggests that the defendant was at the home shortly before the blaze.
Lai’s attorney, James Tedford, countered that the county medical examiner’s office has listed the woman’s cause of death as “undetermined.”
The defense lawyer — who said his client has been in “full cooperation with law enforcement” — said there were electrical issues at the home, saying that “more than likely we have an electrical fire.”
Tedford noted at the first court hearing that Lai owns a business that he has operated for 30 years and that his three adult daughters and his previous wife were in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom.
Firefighters responded to the house Jan. 6 following reports of a residential fire.
Sheriff’s deputies were contacted and interviewed Lai when he arrived at the home with his twin 16-year-old sons.
“He’d taken his sons to baseball practice this morning, and when he returned to the location, from dropping them off at practice, he noticed the residence was on fire,” sheriff’s Lt. Steven de Jong told NBC 4 that day.
In a statement released shortly after the case was filed, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, “The violent death of Dr. Irene Gaw-Lai is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. She was not only a respected physician and business leader, but a mother who deserved safety and dignity in her home. We will not rest until the person responsible for this senseless tragedy is held fully accountable.”
Lai could face a potential life prison sentence if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.