Jury convicts Lim; judge lectures on punctuality

Kim Smith

Wednesday, March 1, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

After just 45 minutes of deliberations, a federal jury Tuesday convicted a North Las Vegas woman of lying to FBI agents during a bank robbery investigation and the search for a jail escapee who later killed his family.

The nine women and three men who made up the jury convicted Seila Lim on two counts of providing false information, a federal charge punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Lim's sentencing is scheduled for June 16 before U.S. District Judge Lloyd George.

George agreed during a hearing this morning to allow Lim to remain free pending her sentencing but warned her that he expected her to be a "model citizen from this point forward."

George became peeved with Lim for continually being late during her trial. Before allowing her to go home Tuesday, he strongly advised her to be early for this morning's hearing. She showed up five minutes late.

The judge gave Lim a lecture on punctuality, the dangers of picking the wrong friends and the importance of telling the truth. "If you haven't learned how to tell the truth, the time has come to start telling it completely," George said.

The jury made their decision without hearing from Lim. Defense attorney Mitchell Posin decided not to put Lim or any other witnesses on the stand after hearing the government's case.

"There were a lot of inconsistences in their case that came up during the trial," Posin said.

During his opening statement Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Schiess said Lim lied repeatedly to agents in an effort to help her brother-in-law, Timothy Blackburn.

Schiess then took the jurors through his case step-by-step, detailing events leading up the day when Blackburn killed his wife and two children and then himself.

Schiess told the jury that after two armed robberies took place on Dec. 21, 1998, an anonymous tip led two FBI agents to Blackburn's house early on the morning of Dec. 31. As the agents went toward the house, a speeding vehicle sped around the corner, forcing one agent to dive for safety. The other jumped into his vehicle to follow.

Sometime during the chase the vehicle slowed down and the passenger jumped out and ran away, Schiess said. The agent was able to stop the vehicle and discovered the driver was Lim.

The passenger, who turned out to be Blackburn, was arrested later that day.

Lim initially told agents that Blackburn had called her parents' house asking for a ride home. Ten minutes later, she said, he arrived at the house after parking his gray Isuzu Rodeo nearby. A car matching the description was used in the robberies, the FBI said.

Lim said Blackburn asked her to take him to the street behind his house and once they arrived, he jumped some fences. He then returned moments later, telling her to "Go, go, go," Schiess said. It was then that the agents entered the picture.

Hoping to search the Isuzu for evidence that might connect Blackburn to the robberies, Schiess said FBI agents went to where Lim said it was parked, but couldn't find it. During a second interview a short time later, Schiess said Lim changed her story. In the new story, Lim said Blackburn called her at her house and then arrived by unknown means.

Lim also told FBI agents that she worked at the Mirage but failed to mention that she also worked as a teller at a Bank of America across the street from the bank repository that had been hit by the robbers on Dec. 21.

Schiess said the gray Isuzu was found one week later -- sparkling clean at Lim's parents' house.

On Aug. 11 Lim's sister, Sophia, helped break her husband out of jail and the pair fled in a gray Isuzu, Schiess said. The vehicle was later discovered at Lim's parents' house.

Lim told the agents she hadn't seen or talked to her sister or Blackburn in weeks, Schiess said. However, a friend of Lim told the FBI that Sophia Blackburn was actually living with Lim.

Lim also told agents that her vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, was in the shop, Schiess said. It wasn't until the next day, when the shop opened for business, that the agents discovered that it wasn't, thus giving the Blackburns several hours head start.

Three days later, frustrated agents reinterviewed Lim, Schiess said. This time she told them that she gave another sister her Pathfinder. She also changed her mind and said she did see her sister on the day of the escape, but hours before it occurred.

FBI agents discovered that was a lie, too, however, Schiess said. A cellular telephone was found in Lim's house -- a phone that records show was used by Blackburn three days earlier to call a friend to let him know he had broken out of jail.

The records also show that Blackburn had called the cell phone repeatedly in the hours before the escape, Schiess said.

Three weeks later Blackburn fatally shot his wife and family as Metro SWAT officers burst into the motel room where they were hiding. He also fired a fatal bullet into his head as officers fired upon him.