Las Vegas Police have identified the suspected murderer of the horrific December 29th crime which took place outside Crystal Nails and Spa. The suspect is 21-year-old Krystal Whipple. Her crime? Running over a Vietnamese refugee and mother of three, all in attempts to avoid paying for a $35 manicure. The woman is facing serious charges and will need to work with a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney to answer to the charges in court.
What do we Know About the Victim?
The story was one Las Vegas’ most tragic tales to end 2018. 51-year-old Nhu “Annie” Ngoc Quynh Nguyen was going in for another, typical day’s work at her nail salon near the Las Vegas Strip. Her partner, Sonny Chung, was there, too; the hard-working couple co-managed the business together. To add to the sad details of the story, all three of Annie’s daughters were in town from California for the holidays, as well as Annie’s two young grandchildren. The entire family was together in Las Vegas on the day of Annie’s tragic death.
After immigrating from Vietnam, Annie had lived in several places around the United States, including Florida, California, Michigan, and Arizona, before making a home for herself in Las Vegas about two years ago. She and Sonny (who referred to Annie as his “wife”) had been together for 13 years, traveling the country, working together, and raising Annie’s three daughters.
What Are The Details of The Crime?
On December 29th, Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer told the Review-Journal that a rental car – a black Chevy Camaro – that had been reported stolen three weeks ago, was the car that the homicide suspect was driving when Annie was hit. It only took Metro a few hours after the incident to locate the vehicle, unoccupied, at a nearby apartment complex.
Video footage from the strip mall where Crystal Nails and Spa was located helped to ID the woman behind the wheel. Police have asked that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Krystal Whipple, who is being accused of homicide charges, please come forward.
How Did The Crime Happen?
Annie and Sonny were working that Saturday afternoon. Annie often said her work was her life, and she worked 12+ hours a day to pay for her daughters’ college education and to help support her parents and siblings. So, when Krystal Whipple attempted to leave the nail salon without paying for her $35 manicure (after swiping a fraudulent credit card several times that didn’t work), Annie rushed out after her to demand the money. Sonny followed, too, and the husband/wife team surrounded Krystal’s car in attempts to get her attention.
In the surveillance video, Annie can be seen jumping in front of the black Chevy Camero; Sonny is behind the car. Krystal does not attempt to stop her car, or drive around the human being standing in front of her; instead, she runs over Annie as if she were nothing but a speedbump. She then dragged Annie’s body underneath the car before speeding away from the scene. All for a $35 manicure.
“I tried to hold the car back,” Sonny told the Review-Journal, “But I’m not superman… She ran off for $35 and killed my wife.”
The Aftermath of the Horrible Crime
A GoFundMe age was created by Annie’s family to help cover funeral costs. The page describes Annie as the hard-working, caring woman she was, often skipping meals so that her family could eat and did not have to work as hard as she did.
Outside of the nail salon, a memorial has been set up. One of Annie’s granddaughters has written a message on a piece of notebook paper, filled with hearts. “We Love You, Grandma,” the message reads. On the door of the salon, typically open 12 hours a day, there is a sign that says, “Sorry, we will be closed until further notice. Thank you and Happy New Years.”
Krystal Whipple has a criminal history including a 2017 conviction in Las Vegas for the attempted possession of a stolen vehicle. As well, she was sentenced to four months in jail in 2018 for violating her probation. Krystal is now in custody.