Woman charged in manicurist’s death appears in Las Vegas court
The woman charged with murder in the death of a nail salon manager made a brief court appearance Thursday in Las Vegas.
Krystal Whipple, 21, was arrested Jan. 11 by the Phoenix FBI in Glendale, Arizona.
Her arrest came nearly two weeks after Nhu “Annie” Ngoc Nguyen, a manager at Crystal Nails & Spa, 4983 W. Flamingo Road, was struck with a stolen rental car and dragged about 50 feet outside the salon.
Whipple waived extradition and now is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center on the murder charge, as well as charges of robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary.
She appeared Thursday before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini, who scheduled a status hearing for April 1.
Nguyen, a mother of three, was killed Dec. 29 after Whipple allegedly tried to pay for a $35 manicure with a credit card that was declined multiple times. The suspect went outside, saying she was retrieving money, and attempted to leave.
The manager and her boyfriend followed the suspect outside to stop her, but the woman got behind the wheel of a stolen black Camaro and struck Nguyen, dragging the 51-year-old across the parking lot, according to her boyfriend, Sonny Chung.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.
