By Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
SANTA ANA, Calif. ― After several postponements, jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday for the trial of two young women accused of killing Kim Pham.
Vanesa Zavala, left, and Candace Marie Brito remain in custody, charged in the death of Kim Pham of Westminster. (File photo by Mark Boster, Pool/Getty Images)
Candice Brito, 27, and Vanesa Zavala, 25, will stand trial for allegedly assaulting and killing Pham, 23, outside of the Crosby nightclub in Santa Ana in January. Pham died two days after the assault from blunt-force trauma to the head, according to Orange County Coroner’s office.
Brito and Zavala were both in court Thursday, wearing civilian clothes and handcuffed at the wrists and ankles. Brito wore all black with her brown hair down. Zavala wore a tan suit with her hair tied up.
Thursday’s pre-trial conference included a discussion on which evidence would be shown to jurors during the trial. Additionally, spectators in court got a glimpse of the witness list, which will include a witness who was at the nightclub at the time of the incident. Two staff members from St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, who worked at the bedside of Pham, also are set to testify.
Jurors also will see autopsy photos of Pham and footage taken from cell-phone video recorders during the alleged attack.
Families of the defendants attended the hearing but declined comment. Pham’s family members were not present.
Judge Thomas M. Goethals said he expects the trial could last as long as three weeks.
