Shivangi Sinha
On the morning of December 25, 2002, Christine Lisowski made a desperate call to 911, reporting that she was being shot at. When the police arrived, gunfire could still be heard inside the house. Christine and her sister had both been shot multiple times and their father, John Lisowski, was found dead at the scene. He had been shot several times in the head and back while sitting at his desk. The crime is explored in detail in ID’s ‘Evil Lives Here’ episode titled ‘We’re Glad Mom is Dead,’ which delves into the motivations of the killer and examines what drove them to harm the children and commit the murder.
John Lisowski Was Shot to Death on His Desk
John Paul Lisowski was born on March 19, 1956, to Paul John Lisowski and Rose T. Lencicki Lisowski in Westfield, Massachusetts. A bright and compassionate individual, he always strived to make the most of what life offered him. He not only sought professional success but also yearned for a fulfilling personal life. In the early 1980s, while on a work trip to South Korea, he met Sungnam Kwon. The two shared an immediate connection, and they decided to spend their lives together before long. It was a significant decision for John, who had always dreamed of having a family. After marriage in 1983, the couple relocated to the US to begin their life together.
By 2002, John and Sungnam had settled in Aurora, Illinois, with their two daughters — Victoria was 14 years old, and Christine was 12. Their life appeared normal, with school and everyday routines shaping their days. John worked as a supervisor for Lucent Technologies Inc., and even though he traveled often, he always came back to make time for his family. However, everything changed on the morning of December 25, 2002, when Christine made a desperate 911 call, reporting that she and her sister were being shot at. When the police arrived, they could still hear gunfire coming from inside the house.
What awaited them was a horrific scene. John had been shot three times in the back and once in the head while seated at his desk, succumbing to his injuries on the spot. In another room, Victoria and Christine were found locked inside, both gravely injured. Victoria had been shot five times, while Christine had suffered three gunshot wounds. Both girls were rushed to the hospital, where they began a slow recovery.
John Lisowski’s Daughters Gave an Account of His Killer
Another person inside the house was also taken to the hospital—Sungnam Lisowski. She had two self-inflicted bullet wounds to her chest. After speaking with Victoria and Christine, the police quickly determined that Sungnam was the perpetrator. While recovering in the hospital, Sungnam confessed to the crime and explained her motive. She claimed that her husband had wanted to divorce her for another woman, precisely a Chinese lady, and she couldn’t cope with the emotional turmoil. When questioned about why she targeted her children as well, Sungnam stated that she couldn’t bear the thought of her husband’s new partner raising her daughters, so she intended to kill them, too.
The police sought to corroborate Sungnam’s claims, and it wasn’t difficult for them to piece the information together. On September 5, 2002, John emailed her requesting a divorce. Then, on December 17, Sungnam purchased a Colt Cobra six-shot revolver, which she even had licensed. It’s believed that she had been practicing at a target range in the days leading up to the shooting. Additionally, Sungnam had reportedly expressed her hatred for her husband to several people, openly stating that she would get a gun to kill him. However, those who heard her assumed she was venting angrily and never believed she would act on those emotions.
When the police constructed a timeline of the events, they theorized that around 8 a.m., Sungnam approached her husband, who had just returned home after being away for work. She shot him first, then reloaded her gun and proceeded upstairs to her daughters’ bedroom. She first targeted Victoria, firing at her, and during this time, Christine managed to escape and call 911. Sungnam then found Christine and began shooting at her as well. Despite her injuries, the younger daughter was able to push her mother away and lock both herself and Victoria in a room. Afterward, Sungnam retreated to another room, locked herself inside, and shot herself in the chest.
Sungnam Kwon Lisowski Passed Away While Incarcerated
Sungnam Kwon Lisowski was charged with the first-degree murder of her husband and the attempted first-degree murder of her daughters. After the incident, the two girls were sent to New England to live with John’s family and chose not to remain in contact with their mother for an extended period. In 2003, before her trial could commence, her defense team argued that she was mentally incompetent to stand trial, citing her struggles with mental illness. The court accepted the motion, and Sungnam was sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. However, in 2004, state mental health professionals declared her fit to stand trial, clearing the way for legal proceedings to resume. The prosecution argued that Sungnam had meticulously planned the murder, indicating a clear and deliberate state of mind.
In 2006, before the trial could begin, she entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to the charges. That October, she was sentenced to 45 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Her defense team maintained that she was suffering from severe mental illness and believed that her husband was still alive and living in China. Sungnam spent the majority of her sentence either at DuPage County Jail or the Elgin Mental Health Center in Illinois, where she was constantly on suicide watch. In 2008, she took her own life while incarcerated. Although her daughters wrote to her once during her imprisonment, expressing hope for a future reunion, that day never came.
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