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Woman dies from beating received after accidentally walking into picture being taken

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Dram

Member
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0122-nightclub-beating-20140122,0,3486011.story#axzz2r8Pr7HOO
Kim Pham, friends and family agreed, would be the last person in the world to end up the victim of street violence.

But in the predawn hours Saturday, the 23-year-old was so severely beaten in a fight outside a trendy Santa Ana nightclub that she was still unconscious when the police arrived. By Tuesday, she was dead after being taken off life support.

Santa Ana police have arrested a woman and continue to seek four other people in connection with the violent confrontation, which one friend said may have been triggered when Pham unintentionally walked in front of a camera as another group posed for a photo.


The Chapman University graduate, who aspired to one day host a talk show, hadn't wanted to go out the night she and two friends arrived at the Crosby, a popular restaurant in Santa Ana's historic district that becomes a lounge on weekends.

As they waited in line outside, an argument broke out between Pham's friends and another group. Police had few details but said the two groups did not know each other and that Pham was hit and stomped in the melee. An eight-second video of the incident shows one person kicking at something on the ground as a crowd gathers.

"She wanted to stay in and texted us to come over," said Viviane Dao, who said she'd been one of Pham's closest friends since ninth grade. "But she was convinced to head out.

Update

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/arrest-made-beating-death-kim-pham-santa-ana-nightclub-article-1.1590642
A second woman has been arrested in the death of the 23-year-old woman who was beaten to death outside a Santa Ana, Calif., nightclub.

The 27-year-old woman was arrested Friday, the second captured in relation to the death of Kim Pham, a Westminster woman who died of blunt force trauma to the head early last Saturday morning.

Another woman, 25-year-old Vanesa Tapia Zavala, has been charged with murder and held in lieu of $1 million bail after her arrest earlier this week.


Pham’s friends said the argument started early Saturday morning as the woman was waiting in line to get into The Crosby. Pham allegedly walked in front of a group of revelers who were trying to take a picture.

A verbal argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Pham was reportedly knocked onto the ground while tussling with another woman. A third person came onto the scene and kicked Pham in the temple. She immediately slumped to the floor, which caused the fighters to flee.


"One kick and she was out cold," Jason, a witness, told the Daily News. "No one touched her after that."

Jason, a witness, told The News Pham threw the first punch in the brutal altercation. Jason, who told The News he was waiting in line to get into The Crosby but was not associated with the brawling groups, said he didn’t know what sparked the fight.
Update
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-women-found-guilty-in-deadly-california-nightclub-beating/
A California jury has convicted two women of kicking a third woman to death during a fight outside a California nightclub.

Candace Brito, 27, and Vanesa Zavala, 26, were found guilty Thursday of voluntary manslaughter and assault for the Jan. 18 fatal attack on 23-year-old Annie Kim Pham in Santa Ana. They were acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors in Orange County said Brito and Zavala kicked Pham in the head after she was knocked down outside The Crosby nightclub. Cellphone video captured the brawl.


At trial, defense attorneys said Pham started the fight after another group bumped into her and her friends outside the club. They argued that Pham could have died from punches or kicks she received from others.

CBS Los Angeles reports sentencing has been set for Sept. 12, and that both women face up to 11 years in state prison.

Both sides agreed the manslaughter conviction was fair.
 
What a fucking disgrace. This just fucked up my whole day. She was so beautiful, a kind hearted spirit and got beat over a picture. What..... Is........ Wrong.... With

PEOPLE?!
 
This type of behaviour sadly does not surprise me - I've seen it with my own eyes. There are people who have an extraordinary capacity to respond to non-issues with terrific amounts of inhumane violence.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Somedays the world just seems to go mad.

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky animals.

Get a group together, even a small group of "friends" and anything can happen. From the simply stupid to the ghastly and violent.
 

Magni

Member
Yeah it is. You shouldn't fucking pressure someone to go out if they don't want.

If it's their fault it's also her fault then for letting herself be pressured into going out. Victim blaming much?

The person (or people) at fault here is whoever killed her, not her, not her friends. I don't see how you could think otherwise.
 

TheGamer

Member
This is unbelievable how someone can brutally beat someone for walking into a picture. It is like this woman's life was worth less than taking another picture that could take three seconds. This is an incredibly sad story. I hope all who physically beat her are convicted of second degree murder.
 

zulfate

Member
This is my co-workers friend who died, he said someone there got on his knees to take a better shot of the women being pulverized by a gang of scum. That truly makes me mad. I hope i am not generalizing but i blame social media a little bit, everyone rather have a story than to help a defenseless women getting beat up by a gang of women and men. Then again something similar happened to my gf so not to sure if its just social media but i wonder if this sort of thing is getting common.
 

Master Z

Member
Would you wade into a melee to try to save someone? I wish I could say I would but I wouldn't.
If the victim was defenseless? I certainly would without a second thought. Not on some superman shit but just to break it up and get the victim to safety.
 

mackattk

Member
It would be easy for me to say I would jump in. But saying something and doing something is something completely different. I would probably be in shock that something like this is going on, and by the time I can think about doing anything it would be over.
 

ЯAW

Banned
If the victim was defenseless? I certainly would without a second thought. Not on some superman shit but just to break it up and get the victim to safety.
Agreed. But I wouldn't judge anyone for not stopping it. I have read too many stories where people going to stop fight gets beat up as well. Call cops and don't just stand there, try at least shout for help.
 
If it's their fault it's also her fault then for letting herself be pressured into going out. Victim blaming much?

The person (or people) at fault here is whoever killed her, not her, not her friends. I don't see how you could think otherwise.

I disagree:

As they waited in line outside, an argument broke out between Pham's friends and another group.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0122-nightclub-beating-20140122,0,3486011.story#ixzz2r9d9SYJt

Sounds to me like they have a pretty big part in her death.
 

Valnen

Member
Sub-human pieces of shit, all of them. Who the hell does this over a fucking photograph?

This is unbelievable how someone can brutally beat someone for walking into a picture. It is like this woman's life was worth less than taking another picture that could take three seconds. This is an incredibly sad story. I hope all who physically beat her are convicted of second degree murder.

Second degree? Fuck that, they all need to be put away forever. Anyone that would violently attack someone over such a non issue deserves the worst punishment possible by law. Anything less is a slap on the wrist and practically condoning their actions.
 

Zornack

Member
I disagree:



Sounds to me like they have a pretty big part in her death.

But murder is not a logical followup for getting in an argument outside of a club. It's a complete overreaction. If the friends started brandishing knives and jumped the other group then her death would be on their hands, but an argument?

What if one of her friends had bumped into a guy with some ice cream and caused it to fall on the ground. If that guy then overreacted and started a brawl which lead to this lady's death would the friend have a part in it?
 
not a single person helps her smh

I took down a purse snatcher once and about two dozen people gathered around not doing shit. Someone yelled call the police, no one did; and I finally called them myself, while I had his back with one are around his throat. Then, people who didn't even see it happen started telling the police "their story."

People are so fucking stupid.

I wish our justice system had a "bottom feeder" law that increased the punishment of a crime when its performed under pathetically bottom feeding and pointless circumstances.
 

Magni

Member
I disagree:



Sounds to me like they have a pretty big part in her death.

I interpreted that as Pham and her friends, not everyone in her group but Pham. Still, in that case they wouldn't be responsible just because they convinced her to go out, nevermind the fact that getting in an argument doesn't make you responsible for your friend's murder.

Is the Florida theater victim responsible for his own death because he was texting before the movie? Is a rape victim responsible because she was wearing a miniskirt?
 
this one in Santa Ana, which has a heavy Viet population. Unless the attackers are viet themselves I would be very careful including the people they associate with that are not related to the events.

Viet people don't take shit from many people.
 

studyguy

Member
Friend was shot dead at a party in Oxnard commemorating the death of a person who had died two years prior in gang violence. Apparently whoever shot him did so for no real reason other than my friend was one of 4 people out in the front lawn taking a smoke break. Guy didn't really party ever either, but just goes to show that life is really shitty and unfair to people who don't deserve it.
 

Clydefrog

Member
Damn. I heard on the news the other night that she was on life support. RIP. I really hope they find those responsible.
 

NastyBook

Member
Kill a man for some shoes, kill a woman for an accidental photo bomb. Senseless doesn't even begin to describe ignorant shit like that.

R.I.P.
 
But murder is not a logical followup for getting in an argument outside of a club. It's a complete overreaction. If the friends started brandishing knives and jumped the other group then her death would be on their hands, but an argument?

What if one of her friends had bumped into a guy with some ice cream and caused it to fall on the ground. If that guy then overreacted and started a brawl which lead to this lady's death would the friend have a part in it?

Of course not. I'm not saying it's a "logical step". I am saying they have a part in her death. How big a part, I don't know because I don't know what transpired, I can only go off of what I read.

I interpreted that as Pham and her friends, not everyone in her group but Pham. Still, in that case they wouldn't be responsible just because they convinced her to go out, nevermind the fact that getting in an argument doesn't make you responsible for your friend's murder.

Is the Florida theater victim responsible for his own death because he was texting before the movie? Is a rape victim responsible because she was wearing a miniskirt?

The escalation was unwarranted, but depending on what the confrontation was about, whether her "friends" were making threats or whatnot, I can only assume that they had a part in the escalation of the event.

As for your second part, don't bother. I didn't say the escalation was logical, but to say the texting had NO PART in his murder would be a lie.

The escalation isn't what I'm arguing, the fact that (if what is said in the article is true and the way I'm reading it is the way it is being presented) then yes, the friends have a part in her death. As sad and tragic as it is.

Please don't turn this into one of those idiotic "YOU THINK SHE DESERVED TO BE RAPED?!?" circle jerk arguments. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that according to what is presented in the article, whatever argument happened between the 'friends' and the 'group' that they had a part in her death.
 
Damn, she was gorgeous. :(

The witness interviewed by the ny daily news (Jason) says that during the brawl, she was actually fighting 1 on 1, when someone cheap-shotted her in the side of the head with a kick, killing her.
 

Parch

Member
Bystander effect and especially mob mentality bugs me. Especially when there are people who are looking for reasons to be violent or destructive. The simplest things will trigger stupidity, and sometimes they just do it because they can and possibility get away with it because they're just another anonymous face in the crowd. It's just so senseless and pathetic.
 

Erasus

Member
Beating someone to death over a photo? Sure alcohol and all, but holy shit people.

Also, bystander effect is a thing but still. wow.
 

see5harp

Member
There is certainly more to the story than just she walked into a picture and instantly there's a fight. If anyone intervened in a 1 on 1 fight by kicking her, that's the person who should get the murder charge. Everyone else who landed blows would be accessories.

EDIT: heard the story. Man if it was actually a couple men who were involved in the beating....that's really fucked up.
 

Master Z

Member
ЯAW;98080061 said:
Agreed. But I wouldn't judge anyone for not stopping it. I have read too many stories where people going to stop fight gets beat up as well. Call cops and don't just stand there, try at least shout for help.
Yeah I wouldn't judge a person for not stopping it though I may discern that their inaction reveals a low threshold of bravery and compassion. It's unfortunate that not one person in the entire crowd of bystanders tried to help the woman.
 
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