Vicky Kim, 65, was arrested after allegedly beating her husband to death with a flagpole at their Palm Desert condominium.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a call of “unknown trouble” around 9:45 a.m. On Sept. 4 at The Enclave, a luxury condo complex on the 35000 block of Gateway Drive. When they arrived, they found Kim’s husband suffering traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kim was taken into custody immediately and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of murder. Authorities said she “inflicted great bodily harm” on her husband during the alleged attack, according to court documents.
The deadly incident capped a documented pattern of violence. Riverside County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Molly Smith said Kim already had several domestic violence cases involving her husband.
“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 told SFGATE.
Those charges and protective orders failed to prevent the Sept. 4 killing. The Enclave, where the couple lived, markets itself as a luxury residence with fitness centers, putting greens and resort-style pools and spas in the wealthy enclave near Palm Springs.
Kim’s criminal history stretches back nearly two decades and crosses state lines. Police records from 2007 show she was previously charged with first-degree terroristic threatening in Hawaii after allegedly making a bomb threat at Keahole International Airport on the Big Island.
The 2007 airport case adds a disturbing dimension to the portrait of a woman now accused of a brutal domestic killing. Authorities have not disclosed what weapon was used beyond the flagpole description, nor have they released the victim’s identity.
Kim was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.