A 65-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with murder after her husband was found dead at their luxury condominium in Palm Desert, California.
Vicky Kim is accused of killing him with a flagpole at The Enclave residence on Gateway Drive, according to court documents. The victim has not been publicly named.
Deputies were sent to the property shortly before 10am on 4 September following an “unknown trouble call”, the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Office said.
They found a man suffering from traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives from the Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit identified Kim as the suspect. She was arrested at the residence without incident and later booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of murder.
The Enclave is described as a highly desirable condominium complex with a putting green, fitness centre, resort-style pools and spas.
Previous domestic violence cases
Archived police records indicate Kim had previously been known to law enforcement in connection with several domestic violence cases involving her husband.
Molly Smith, a spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, said her office had charged Kim with a felony and obtained criminal protective orders in connection with domestic abuse allegations made by her husband.
Ms Smith said the office “intended to aggressively prosecute her for her crimes against her husband”. It is unclear why Kim remained at liberty several months later.
Kim was also arrested in Hawaii in July 2007 in connection with an alleged bomb threat at Kona International Airport at Keahole. Police said she was detained after allegedly making the threat aboard a plane, leading passengers to be evacuated and screened again.
She was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and posted 1,000 US dollars bail.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed or heard the domestic incident that preceded the man’s death.
