Jim Loo, a 24-year-old Chinese-American restaurant worker, was tragically killed on July 29, 1989, in Raleigh, North Carolina. On the night of July 28, 1989, Jim Loo and six of his friends went to play pool at the Cue ‘N’ Spirits on Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh. During their time at the bar, they were confronted by Lloyd and Robert Piche, two brothers who were drinking at the bar.
The Piche brothers made racially charged remarks, referring to a brother who had died in the Vietnam War, and used derogatory terms such as “slanty-eyed gooks,” “black pajamas,” and “rice eaters.” Lloyd Piche made kung fu gestures, pretended to fire a machine gun at the group, and tried to recruit another white bar patron into the dispute. Despite the harassment, Loo’s group remained quiet and tried to ignore the Piches.
The Piche brothers left the bar and waited in the parking lot. When Loo and his friends came out, Robert Piche attempted to club one of Loo’s friends with a shotgun, then used a handgun to threaten another of Loo’s friends and struck Loo in the head. Lloyd Piche also took part in the attack on the group. Loo collapsed to the pavement, where a broken beer bottle pierced his head. Two days later, Loo died from brain injuries.
Loo’s death caught the attention of national Asian-American organizations, which were determined to avoid a repeat of what they saw as a miscarriage of justice following the 1982 killing of Vincent Chin. During Chin’s bachelor party at a Detroit-area nightclub, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz had shouted at Chin and his guests, “It’s because of you little that we’re out of work,” referring to the loss of car manufacturing jobs to Japan. Later that evening, Ebens and Nitz bludgeoned Chin with a baseball bat until his head cracked open. Chin was buried on what would have been his wedding day. Chin’s killers were sentenced to three years probation and a $3,000 fine for manslaughter and acquitted of all civil rights charges. According to Justice Department official Jack Keeney, jurors might have acquitted Ebens of civil rights violations because they concluded Ebens’ attack on Chin’s person was not specifically intended to interfere with his enjoyment of the nightclub. Ebens and Nitz never went to prison.
After years of unsuccessful advocacy in Detroit, national groups such as the Organization of Chinese-Americans and the Asian Law Caucus were determined to mobilize quickly in Raleigh. Working with local leaders, they organized the Jim Loo American Justice Coalition to attend the trial and provide legal and linguistic assistance to Loo’s parents, and they pressured the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against the Piche brothers.
On March 19, 1990, a Raleigh, North Carolina jury convicted Robert Piche of second-degree murder for the racially motivated killing of Ming Hai "Jim" Loo, the 24-year-old Chinese-American student. The murder verdict, in addition to verdicts for other related crimes, was returned in 55 minutes. Robert Piche was sentenced to 37 years' imprisonment for second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Lloyd Piche was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to six months' imprisonment, of which he served one and a half months.
The federal government prosecuted Lloyd Piche alone in federal court. Lloyd was convicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina on eight counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 241 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 245 . The district court sentenced Lloyd to 48 months' imprisonment by downwardly departing from the sentencing guidelines to equalize Lloyd's federal and Robert's state sentence. In addition, the court imposed a $28,000 restitutionary fine upon Lloyd.
