By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Martin Pang did not show up for a Nov. 14 court hearing to hear his request to change his name to “Mark Sun Lee.”
We reported earlier this month that the convicted arsonist wanted to change his name for “cultural, religious, and protective reasons.”
By missing the hearing, Pang avoided a face-off with Kim Shoemaker Anderson, the sister of one of the victims. She traveled from Enumclaw to Kennewick and told the Tri-City Herald that she planned to confront Pang.
Anderson’s brother, Seattle Fire Lt. Greg Shoemaker, along with Lt. Walter Kilgore and firefighters Randall Terlicker and James Brown, died in the fire that Pang set in 1995, at a warehouse his parents owned in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
Anderson said she was disappointed that Pang skipped the hearing, but she vowed to attend any future name-change hearing. Pang will have to resubmit his petition if he wishes to legally change his name.
Pang, 63, moved to Prosser in September after his release from the Walla Walla State Penitentiary, where he served 23 years of a 35-year sentence.
He owes $3 million in restitution, court costs, and interest. A name change would not relieve him of that obligation.
Staff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.