[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.

[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 the eyes of many in the Black community, it was a grave injustice that Soon Ja Du did not receive any jail time for her crime.

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.