Second woman arrested in beating death; Police seek third
By C. Harold Pierce
Santa Ana police arrested a second woman Friday in connection with the beating death of Kim Pham and are seeking a third.
The suspect in custody, a 27-year-old Santa Ana resident, was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. Friday at her home and booked for homicide after police received tips and reviewed videos from the incident that she was captured in. Her name has not been released.
Vanesa Tapia Zavala, 25, was charged with Pham’s murder Wednesday and is being held on $1 million bail. Police are seeking a third unidentified woman as a person of interest.
“All three women were involved in the physical altercation with Ms. Pham,” Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas said.
Pham was beaten unconscious early Saturday morning in front of The Crosby, a Downtown Santa Ana nightclub. She was removed from life support three days later, dying of blunt force trauma to the head, according to a coroner’s report.
Initial reports that two men were also involved in the fight are false, Rojas said.
“Our investigation up to this point has only come up with three people,” Rojas said, adding that the two suspects in custody and person of interest can be identified in at least three cell phone videos from that night.
Police ask that anyone with information about the unidentified woman contact the Santa Ana Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (714) 245-8390 or anonymously through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
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