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M/CLEAR Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, April 20, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 4, 2003 Phil Stevens, next-door neighbor of Chon Olson, who was stabbed to death Wednesday at the Medford Hotel, recalled she and her son, John Olson, had argued during the past week. Her son was arraigned on a murder charge Thursday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Arguments preceded stabbing Medford neighbors recall several fightsbetween woman, sonjailed for her death By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Friends and neighbors recall a stormy relationship between the 21-year-old son accused of stabbing to death his 58-year- old mother in the Medford Hotel Wednesday. John Carl Olson II, who had been living with his mother, Chon Olson, for about a month, was arraigned on a murder charge Thursday before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia. Philip Newton, a neighbor and friend of Chon’s, said the mother and son argued frequently. Newton, who said he didn’t hear anything at the time of the murder, recalled hearing voices raised outside the Olsons’ apartment about a week ago. "They had an argument in the hallway — it was about five minutes long," he said. "She said she was going to call the cops." Olson, who is being held in Jackson County Jail without bail, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after he called 911. When Medford police and emergency medical technicians arrived, they found the mother had been stabbed. A Mercy Flights crew rushed her to Rogue Valley Medical Center, where she later died. Karen Loomis, deputy district attorney, said she couldn’t discuss details of the alleged matricide, saying only that it will be brought before a grand jury next week. Neighbors describe Olson, who had moved to Medford from Illinois, as a troubled young man. Newton, who said it was sad to lose his neighbor and friend who had lived in the same apartment building for eight years, said the mother and son fought over a variety of things. Chon, a Korean, had given Newton a box of valuables, such as checks and a credit card, that he said she didn’t want her son to get his hands on. Chon liked to cook Korean meals, but her son complained that he wanted to eat American food. "I gave her some Chef Boy-Ar-Dee that I had, but I guess that wasn’t good enough for him," said Newton. He last saw his friend about three hours before the murder and first heard of the stabbing when the police knocked on his door. Newton, who is retired, described Chon as having "a bad temper. She liked to tell me what to do, but I ignored it." Still, Chon would come to his apartment about three times a week to get away from her son, he said. "They didn’t get along," he said. "She said he picked arguments with her." But, as far as Newton knows, the son never struck his mother. Next-door neighbor Phil Stevens said Chon, whom he said was taking medication for a mental disorder, was often aggressive in her behavior toward her son. "She knew how to provoke," he said. During the past week, he remembers the mother and son got into an argument in the hallway. "When she gets excited, she gets very personal," he said. Although the walls are thin, Stevens said he heard nothing at the time the murder occurred. "I was blissfully unaware of what was going on," he said. Louis Florea, a local caregiver, said Chon told him she was having trouble with her son. "I picked him up at the bus depot," he remembers. "He seemed like a real nice fellow." Florea said Olson was kicked out of his home back East. "She knew he had mental problems," he said. Florea said Chon never mentioned her son getting violent with her, but, "She said she slapped him," he said. After learning of her death, Florea said, "I had a hell of a time sleeping last night." Kendis Weagant, a disabled woman who lives a few doors from the Olsons, described Chon as a caring woman. When the state threatened to cut off the funding for Weagant’s medications, she said Chon came to her, wanting to make sure she had enough food. But she did witness some hostility between the mother and son. "One time in the elevator, she was talking to him in Korean and it sounded like she was upset with him," she remembered. Despite the Olsons’ troubled relationship, said Lorene Landers, who lives on the same floor, "She was a very caring, loving person who prayed for many years to get her son. Her son needed special attention and she was the one who could give it to him." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S