DRUG PROBE AT CV HIGH KEPT QUIET

Officials won't say if two students linked to killings are under
investigation for drugs; police say Kims will be harder to watch now
that they're in home school.

LA CRESCENTA -- School district officials refused to say Tuesday if
they are still investigating alleged drug activities by two students
asked to leave Crescenta Valley High School last week.

"We don't want to tip the hat," said Bill Card, director of student
services for the Glendale Unified School District.

The 18-year-old students, Damian Kim and Marian Kim, agreed to finish
their senior years in home study after officials learned they are
suspects in a double murder at Valley View Elementary School in July.
Court documents linked Damian Kim and Marian Kim, who are not
related, to alleged drug sales at the high school.

The bludgeoned bodies of Blaine Talmo Jr. and Christopher McCulloch
were found July 23. Prosecutors have charged Michael Demirdjian with
the beating deaths, but said during his trial that Damian Kim and
Marian Kim are suspects, along with Paul Kim and Joseph Song. Paul
Kim is not related to Damian and Marian.

Demirdjian's trial ended in a hung jury. A new trial date has not yet
been set. Demirdjian is the only person to be charged with the deaths.

Prosecutors alleged Demirdjian and Damian Kim lost money in a drug
deal and in trying to get their money returned, enlisted the help of
the other teens to set up the drug dealer. They were not successful,
prosecutors said during Demirdjian's trial. Prosecutors suggested the
teens were sending a message to the drug dealer when they allegedly
beat Talmo and McCulloch.

The four uncharged suspects allegedly told police they were en route
to Palm Springs the night Talmo and McCulloch were killed.

School officials said they were caught off guard when they learned
Damian Kim and Marian Kim were suspects in the slayings.

"There were so many names mentioned during the trial. We assumed if
any were students, someone [from the Glendale Police Department]
would let us know," CV Co-principal Linda Evans said.

Police said they warned officials to monitor Demirdjian's trial but
did not release the names of other suspects because of their ongoing
investigation.

"Several weeks prior, we told them to pay attention to certain
evidence that would be made available during the trial regarding
other suspects," police spokesman Sgt. Rick Young said.

School officials said they were in an awkward position after learning
the teens were suspects, and considered many options before asking
Damian Kim and Marian Kim to leave the school. District policy allows
officials to ask students to perform home study if there is
reasonable cause to believe they are party to a criminal action,
district spokesman Vic Pallos said.

But some students at the school think officials overreacted.

"It's not right to kick out somebody based on suspicion. They should
wait until the investigation brings something out," sophomore Gowa Wu
said outside the school Monday.

Others, like junior Josh Gardner, said he did not know enough details
about the case to decide if the students "deserved" to be asked to
leave. Gardner and classmate Charlie Knauf said they would not have
felt unsafe at school if the teens had been allowed to stay.

"We were concerned about [Damian Kim's and Marion Kim's] safety. And
we were concerned about the reaction of other students and their
reaction to those students," Evans said.

Police said other students were not in danger and it will be more
difficult for them to monitor the two now that they are no longer at
school. The school resource officer had been "keeping an eye on them"
since the investigation started, Young said.