[2] The sentencing was widely regarded as extremely light, and a failed appeal[3] reportedly contributed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, especially the targeting of Koreatown.

On November 27, 1985, Crystal was shot dead outside a Los Angeles nightclub by Cora Mae Anderson, Acoff's new girlfriend, leaving Latasha and her younger siblings in the care of their maternal grandmother, Ruth Harlins.

[13] After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing a videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police concluded that Harlins intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand.

[16][17] Harlins then tried to flee the scene, but Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at her from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter).

The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter, an offense that carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years.

Karlin added, "this is not a time for revenge... and no matter what sentence this court imposes Mrs. Du will be punished every day for the rest of her life."

[citation needed] A state appeals court later unanimously upheld Judge Karlin's sentencing decision, 3–0, on April 21, 1992, about a week before the LA riots.

[24] In July 1992, Latasha's brother and sister received a $300,000 settlement from a civil suit brought against Soon Ja Du, which was paid by the store's insurance policy.

[25] The incident and reduced sentencing by the court exacerbated the existing tensions between African-American residents and Korean-American merchants in South Central Los Angeles.

[30] After the widely publicized shooting of Harlins, relations between the black and Korean communities, which had already been poor,[31] deteriorated rapidly.

[32] Despite intervention from leaders of both communities, the aftermath of the killing was characterized by boycotts, tense debate, bitterness, Molotov cocktails, and more convenience store murders.

[39] The 21st century has seen improved relations between the two communities, as a younger generation of Korean-American Los Angeles residents showed up in great numbers—in some cases organizing protests—to support the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020.

In justifying his directive, he said "[t]his was such a stunning miscarriage of justice that Judge Karlin cannot continue to hear criminal cases with any public credibility.

Protesters noted that a week after the killing, a Glendale man received a more severe sentence than Du for kicking a dog.

[43] Denise Harlins interrupted an awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel for Du defense attorney Charles Lloyd.

"[43][45] After Denise Harlins was removed from the ballroom, Karlin gave a speech, stating "There are those in the community who demand that we define justice by what is politically correct.

[48] In 1993, hip hop artist Tupac Shakur released a song titled "Keep Ya Head Up", which was dedicated to Harlins.

[51] Rapper Ice Cube composed a song about the incident for his album Death Certificate titled "Black Korea".

[52] Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane composed "Empire Liquor Mart (9127 S. Figueroa St.)" for the album The Ambassador in 2014, which tells the story of Harlins' life and the event that transpired.

[53] Haitian-American rapper Mach-Hommy released the song "Soon Jah Due" (featuring Earl Sweatshirt) on his 2020 album Mach's Hard Lemonade.

[54] The short documentary film A Love Song for Latasha (2019) gives some biographical background Harlins' life, drawing on memories from her cousin and her best friend.