Police in Nevada have identified the female suspect accused of running over and killing a manicurist in a stolen car after she couldn’t foot a $35 manicure bill last weekend.
On Thursday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD) identified 21-year-old Krystal Whipple as the suspect in the alleged crime, according to a press release.
#WANTED! A suspect in the homicide that occurred outside of a nail salon on Dec 29, 2018 has been identified as Krystal Whipple.
Anyone w/info on her whereabouts is urged to call #LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-3521 or @CrimeStoppersNV at 702-385-5555. pic.twitter.com/p9TFMoTfTi— LVMPD (@LVMPD) January 3, 2019
As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities said the suspect went to Crystal Nails and Spa, located less than two miles from the Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Drive, last Saturday afternoon, to get her nails done.
At the end of the service, Whipple tried paying with a credit card that was subsequently declined, according to police. She then told employees that she would retrieve a different form of payment from her vehicle, when the salon’s managers, Nhu Nguyen, 51, and Sonny Chung, followed her outside.
Instead of paying, the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle, which police said was a “black, newer-model Chevrolet Camaro” rental that had been stolen three weeks prior. Officials posted chilling surveillance video, which apparently captured a portion of the alleged heinous crime, to Youtube on Thursday.
In the video, Nguyen, who police said was Whipple’s manicurist on the fateful day, is seen trying to stop the the woman from leaving by hanging onto the front of the car. Instead of stopping, the suspect allegedly ran the victim over. The footage showed Chung holding onto the rear portion of the vehicle before being thrown off. The suspect then sped away from the scene.
Nguyen was subsequently taken to an area hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Chung, who told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he dated Nguyen and managed the salon with her for 13 years, recalled trying to help the victim, whom he referred to as his “wife.”
“I tried to hold the car back, but I’m not Superman,” Chung told the newspaper. “She ran off for $35 and killed my wife — $35 to run my wife over.”
The Clark County coroner’s office reportedly deemed the victim’s death as a homicide, and said she passed away due to “blunt force injuries.”
The stolen vehicle was later discovered “unoccupied at a nearby apartment complex,” officials said, adding that they don’t believe the person who initially rented the vehicle was involved in the alleged crime.
As reported by the Review-Journal, who cited a police spokesperson, this isn’t the suspect’s first run-in with the law; she has had several warrants issued for her arrest.
Whipple allegedly failed to appear in court regarding multiple citations related to traffic violations earlier this year.
Further, the suspect pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a stolen vehicle in 2016. While sentenced to probation in the case, officials said Whipple did not appear in court as required. Authorities then sentenced Whipple to serve four months behind bars and issued an arrest warrant for her.
“Please take a close look at this photo,” LVMPD Lt. Ray Spencer said of the suspect’s booking photo. “It’s important that we get the suspect into custody, as the victim’s family and this community deserve to have her answer for this horrible crime.”
Anyone with information regarding the case or whereabouts of Krystal Whipple is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. You may also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 702-385-5555, or online at www.crimestoppersofsnv.com.
[Feature Photo: Khrystal Whipple/LVMP, Nhu Nguyen/GoFundMe]
