el Don News
By C. Harold Pierce
A second woman was charged with murder Tuesday in the fatal beating of a Chapman University graduate outside a nightclub in Downtown Santa Ana.
Candace Marie Brito, a 27-year-old Santa Ana woman, pleaded not guilty in the death of 23-year-old Kim Pham, who was beaten unconscious Jan. 18 outside of The Crosby and died three days later.
Brito, who was arrested Friday, is being held on $1 million bail.
She is the second suspect charged in connection with Pham’s murder. The first, Vanesa Tapia Zavala, 23, pleaded not guilty to murder Jan. 22.
If convicted, Zavala and Brito face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney.
Police are still looking for a third unidentified person of interest.
