nwasianweekly.com
Dec. 8, 2007

Lack of police response upsets family of victim

By Ryan Pangilinan
Northwest Asian Weekly

When young people are getting dressed, primped and ready to go out for a night on the town, they seldom think that the evening might end in tragedy; after all, one of the main reasons for going out is to unwind and spend time with those closest to you. For Phoun Meunsaveng, one such evening began that way, but ended in a nightmare.

On April 18, 2004, 24-year-old single father Meunsaveng and his friends decided to patronize Mr. Lucky, a club that was located in lower Queen Anne and marred with violence before and after Meunsaveng went there. Several fights occurred during the course of that night; unfortunately, Meunsaveng would inadvertently be the focal point of the final one.

According to the deposition the Meunsaveng family filed against Mr. Lucky, Meunsaveng, who was not part of the altercation that took place in the club’s parking lot, was attacked by another patron, Ron Rendorio, with a metal pipe. According to the document, Rendorio wasn’t even aware what he had assaulted the victim with.

“I hit him with the pipe. I think it was a pipe. I’m not sure what it was,” Rendorio said in a statement.

Reports state that Meunsaveng was unarmed and, at 5 feet, 5 inches and 120 pounds, was physically outmatched by a 6-foot-1 inch, 230-pound Rendorio. After the fight, Rendorio fled the scene and left Meunsaveng to die.

Following the violent incident, the Seattle Police Department closed the case and did not charge Rendorio with any crime, citing self-defense as their reason.

“A week or two after my brother was buried, they told me that the case was closed. They’re not prosecuting the guy because he was protecting himself,” said Julie Meunsaveng, Phoun’s sister.

Even without charges made or responsibility claimed, the Meunsavengs filed a civil suit against Mr. Lucky, whose security had failed to protect or dissipate the altercations that occurred that evening. The club settled with the family and shuttered its doors in June 2006. Yet, there’s still a great deal of unease for the family as Rendorio remains uncharged.

“Justice will never be served until the police charge (Rendorio) with killing Phoun Meunsaveng,” wrote the Meunsavengs’s attorney, Karen Koehler, via e-mail. “The family cannot understand how in a ‘civilized’ society like America, the confessed killer has never been charged. ... By failing to press charges or conduct a proper investigation, the police have done a terrible injustice to this family.”

“Something needs to be done,” said Julie Meunsaveng, “because it’s showing all the kids and teenagers out there that you can get away with murder, especially the person who did it (and) admitted it. They didn’t convict him or anything. He wasn’t even put in jail.”

Julie Meunsaveng also said that she hopes a civil suit against Rendorio will lead back to a criminal case. In August 2006, Koehler sent a letter to SPD Chief Gil Kerlikowske on behalf of the family’s pleas to reopen the case. That letter has yet to gain a response. “Nobody has contacted me about reopening the case. I’ve tried,” said Julie Meunsaveng.

“(Phoun) was a loving father. ... I lost my brother and once I lost (him), I also lost his son. ... After (Phoun) passed away, his mother came and took him away,” said Julie Meunsaveng.

Koehler is also keeping the victim’s son in mind as she labors to bring a semblance of justice to the family: “Phoun’s young son will grown up and learn that his father was not respected by the establishment. He will learn that the killer is being allowed to go through life with no legal consequences for swinging that pipe and killing his father. Unless the police redo their shoddy investigation and charge the killer, there can be no confidence that our criminal justice system is fair for all.”

Koehler sent another letter to the SPD on Dec. 5, asking for the investigation to be reopened. SPD did not respond to interview requests at press time.

Ryan Pangilinan can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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