A California fugitive accused of arranging two killings, including a murder-for-hire plot that allegedly claimed the wrong victim, has been captured in Laos and returned to the U.S. after nearly eight years on the run to face murder charges.

Myung Jin Kim, a 31-year-old South Korean national, was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May after being detained for immigration violations. Following coordination between U.S. and Laotian officials, Kim was flown back to Los Angeles International Airport on June 9. After arriving in Southern California, he was booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail before being transferred to the custody of the San José Police Department and taken to Santa Clara County the following day.

Kim’s return makes this the first known extradition-like transfer of a wanted fugitive from the southeast nation of Laos to the U.S, according to the Orange County District Attorney.

“Mr. Kim’s cowardly acts of violence finally caught up with him, despite being halfway across the globe,” said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI’s Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is proud to assist police departments seeking violent subjects who’ve fled the jurisdiction, and we will continue these partnerships and those we’ve developed with countries all over the world to seek justice for victims of violent crime.”

Kim had been the subject of an international manhunt since 2018. He was allegedly involved in two separate homicide cases in California, including a botched murder-for-hire plot in San Jose that resulted in the death of an unintended victim. Kim allegedly hired a hitman to carry out the killing in June 2016, but the wrong person was shot and killed after stopping in a residential neighborhood.

For years, no arrest warrant was issued in connection with the San Jose case as investigators continued building evidence. Then, in September 2018, Kim became the prime suspect in a second killing. He is accused of fatally shooting his friend, Christopher Kim, 26, in the parking lot of a CVS store in Westminster following a dispute over money. Christopher Kim was shot multiple times in front of his girlfriend before the suspect fled the scene on foot, officials said.

An arrest warrant was issued in Orange County in November 2018, and additional charges connected to the San Jose killing followed. Investigators believe Kim left the U.S. soon afterward and spent years moving internationally while avoiding capture.

He was eventually located in Laos, where prosecutors say he was using fraudulent travel documents.

“Justice knows no borders and we will go to the literal ends of the earth in the pursuit of justice,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But the long arm of the law of Orange County is coming for you and there is not a country on earth that is capable of shielding you from our unwavering pursuit of justice. We believe in consequences for your actions, and you will be held accountable for every crime you commit and for every victim you harm.”

Kim is expected to be prosecuted in Santa Clara County before being returned to Orange County to be prosecuted for his alleged crimes committed in Orange County.