This article is part of a series covering the disappearance of Laura Song and the establishment of the Laura Song Foundation.
Cal U students Edgar Vila and Marcy Cho respond to allegations set forth by the World Journal and local restaurant Lucky Dragon regarding their involvement with Laura Song. In a recent article, the World Journal attempted to undermine the students' credibility and claimed that the two were linked as romantic interests, publishing this photo as potential evidence:
Source: The World Journal
Vila and Cho reached out to the Daily Clue to clear up any miscommunications offered by the news report, which they called a "smear campaign." Here is an excerpt of a statement given by Marcy Cho:
"The photo published by the World Journal is misleading and cropped to show only Edgar and I 'discussing something within the confines of a private space', when in reality, if the World Journal had any semblance of journalistic integrity, they would have shown the full picture of Edgar, Daniel, and I commemorating Laura and talking about our shared memories of her. We have done this tradition almost every week since her disappearance to help us cope and pray that she returns by offering her favorite foods like Honest Green Tea and Pac Islander Eggs Benedict from Nick’s Café.
Photos published with permission from Edgar Vila.
"Another note on the poor journalistic integrity of World Journal was their lack of reaching out to either me or Edgar about this photo—I’m no experienced student journalist, but I don’t need to be one to know that it is against all forms of journalistic ethics and integrity to publish a story clearly designed to incite division against two individuals without reaching out to these two individuals for comment.
"Needless to say, I’m very disappointed with the World Journal for their unscrupulous journalist practices and their seemingly malicious attempts to fabricate unnecessary wedges by publishing blatantly false and/or misleading 'news.' Moreover, the private lives or Edgar and I are not and should not be the focus: the focus should be on the viability of policies proposed to the Song Yelin Foundation and how closely they represent what Laura would have wanted to see in the Chinatown community that she so dearly loved."
Vila believes that the photo provided by the World Journal was obtained via a hacker hired by Lucky Dragon, as he otherwise has "no idea how [it] could've been leaked." His suspicions are based on a previous comment made by Zheng Li:
Source: Zheng Li on Discord
Vila also expressed similar sentiments as Cho, and he wanted to officially clarify his and Laura's relationship to the public. "The truth is," he stated, "Laura and I did mutually agree to take a break, and I know she spent a lot of time with Zheng Li during this break."
Cho corroborated: "There is disproportionate suspicion placed on Edgar for being Laura's long-time boyfriend, when in reality, she and Edgar were already broken up for several months at the time of her disappearance. They remained close friends but were no longer dating because Laura had become romantically involved with Zheng Li... Based on my knowledge as Laura’s closest friend and roommate, [Laura and Zheng Li] were more than just 'best friends.'" Cho also emphasized that while she has always been interested in Vila romantically, she was transparent about this to Song and supported her relationship with him "completely." Cho, Song, and Vila were close friends and shared similar passions and interests in serving immigrant communities and local small businesses in downtown LA Chinatown.
Vila stated that he has "no doubt" that the World Journal coverage was "a ploy by Lucky Dragon to target [him] and Marcy and [to] distract from their crimes uncovered by Judy Chan." Vila is also certain that "more sinister revelations will soon follow surrounding Lucky Dragon’s unscrupulous business practices."
"The focus should be on the viability of policies proposed to the Song Yelin Foundation and how closely they represent what Laura would have wanted to see in the Chinatown community that she so dearly loved."
Vila and Cho would like the focus to be shifted away from the unsubstantiated claims set forth by Lucky Dragon and the World Journal. The students want to remind the Cal U community to prioritize rectifying the injustices plaguing the local and campus immigrant community and reopening the investigation into Laura Song’s disappearance.
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