Husband Indicted in Wife's Cliff-Plunge Suicide

STONY POINT, N.Y. -- A man who allegedly allowed his wife to drive off a 300-foot cliff with their daughters in the family minivan was indicted Thursday on charges of reckless endangerment, promoting a suicide and endangering children.

Victor Han, 35, of Staten Island, stood silently in Stony Point Town Court as prosecutor Louis Valvo announced the indictment by a Rockland County grand jury. No plea was entered, although Han had pleaded not guilty to the same charges after his arrest in June.

"We're disappointed but not surprised,'' said defense lawyer Lawrence Goldman, adding that he would move to have the case dismissed.

Hejin Han, 35, drove the family's Honda Odyssey off Bear Mountain just after her husband stepped outside the minivan on June 14. She was killed but the children, 5 and 3, survived without major injury.

At the time, authorities alleged that Han, an architect, drove the family to a scenic overlook at Bear Mountain State Park, about 40 miles north of New York City, knowing his wife planned to kill herself. He allegedly exited and walked away while his wife got behind the wheel and drove over the edge.

In a deposition, Han acknowledged that he had worried his wife was suicidal. But he said he got out of the van to take pictures, and when he saw the vehicle moving he tried but failed to grab it. He called 911, ran down the embankment and rescued their daughters, he said, but could not revive his wife.

After his arrest, Han was kept in a psychiatric hospital for five days.

The most serious charge is reckless endangerment, which carries a maximum prison term of 28 months to seven years on conviction; promoting suicide is punishable by 16 months to four years, and endangering a child carries a maximum one-year sentence.

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