Montco jury convicts 2 in Korean businessman’s slaying

After six hours of deliberations, a Montgomery County jury tonight found Joseph Page and Amatadi Latham guilty of second-degree murder and other counts in the death of Korean retailer Robert Chae in a 2009 home invasion.

A third defendant, Karre Pitts, was cleared of all charges.

Chae, 58, suffocated after he was beaten while his head was wrapped in duct tape in the garage of his Montgomery Township home. His nephew Angelo Shin later admitted that he had helped plan a robbery of the Chae family's safe. Shin and two others, Robert Eatman and Sybil White, had pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and testified for prosecutors about having supporting roles in the attack.

During the 13-day trial, Latham confessed to taking part in the home invasion but denied participating in any violence. Page and Pitts did not testify, and their attorneys said each played no role in the attack.

DNA evidence and phone records connected Page and Latham to the scene, but not Pitts.

The convictions carry mandatory life sentence. The verdicts were announced at 5:35 p.m.