On a cold Thursday morning in Milwaukee, the life of 41-year-old Shoua Lee, a male, came to a violent end. Outside his home in the 5600 block of N. 83rd St., he was shot three times, with wounds to his face, chest, and abdomen. The date was December 31, 2009, the final day of the year, a day that would forever be marked by this tragedy for those who knew him.
The investigation into his death quickly focused on a single suspect, 56-year-old Lee Yang.
The motive, as described by authorities, was rooted in a personal conflict. Shoua Lee was dating Yang's ex-wife, a relationship that Yang reportedly could not accept. According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Yang stated that he killed Lee because he believed Lee was "brainwashing" his former spouse into staying with him. This belief appears to have driven him to commit the fatal act.
In the wake of the shooting, investigators recovered two semi-automatic rifles and one semi-automatic handgun from Yang's home. Lee Yang was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon. The charge carried a potential sentence of life in prison plus an additional five years. The arrest brought a swift, though grim, resolution to the question of who was responsible for the death of Shoua Lee, leaving a community to grapple with the violent outcome of a personal grievance.
