Hollister man found guilty of wife’s 2017 murder

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION) A Hollister man was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder in connection to his wife's death, according to the San Benito County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office.

50-year-old Sang Ji was accused of killing his wife, Yoon "Clara" Ji. Another woman who investigators said was his associate, Jung Choi, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in January.

The investigation started when one of Ji's daughters filed a missing person's report. She told the San Benito County Sheriff's Office that Sang Ji claimed his wife had gone to South Korea to take care of her mother, but the daughter was suspicious.

After serving search warrants and conducting interviews, investigators found Yoon Ji's body buried in a ravine on the 2300 block of Salinas Grade Road near San Juan Bautista in December 2017. Ji and Chi were arrested the same month, four days after Ji's daughter filed the report.

The San Benito County Sheriff's Office and DA's Office said Yoon Ji is remembered as a beloved mother and community member.