Earlier Kim charges reduced to misdemeanors over prosecutors’ objection
Vicky Kyung Mi Kim, 65, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after allegedly fatally wounding her husband with a flagpole at their Palm Desert home on September 4, according to SF Gate.
Palm Desert sheriff’s deputies responded to an “unknown trouble call” on September 4 at The Enclave, a luxury condominium community, according to SF Gate, which first reported the case. Upon arrival, officers located Kim’s spouse with “traumatic injuries” that appeared to be from a physical assault and pronounced the person dead at the scene.
Deputies took Kim into custody on suspicion of murder, and a judge set her bail at $10 million, according to court documents reviewed by SF Gate. SF Gate identified the victim as Kim’s husband.
Court documents show Kim had a history of recent domestic violence. In January, she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery of a spouse or cohabitant and a misdemeanor charge of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse related to a separate violation. Kim entered a guilty plea for violating a protective order.
The couple had previous arguments over finances and infidelity allegations, KESQ News Channel 3 reported.
Molly Smith, a spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, told SF Gate about her office’s earlier handling of Kim: “In January of this year, our office charged Ms Kim with a felony, obtained criminal protective orders, and intended to aggressively prosecute her for her crimes against her husband.”
Smith elaborated in a separate statement to KESQ: “Despite our office’s clear objections, a judge resolved all of the defendant’s cases as misdemeanors, released her from custody, and terminated all protective orders that prosecutors worked hard to obtain.”
The judge who reduced Kim’s earlier charges could not be immediately identified for comment, SF Gate reported.
The events leading up to the September 4 death remain unknown, according to SF Gate.