Nail Salon Owner Killed Over $35 Manicure

 

Las Vegas police have identified the woman accused of killing a nail salon owner after failing to pay for a $35 manicure.  Police say they are looking for 21-year-old Krystal Whipple in the death of 53-year-old “Annie” Nhu Nguyen.  Police say Whipple stopped by the salon, Crystal Nails & Spa to get a manicure around 3:45 p.m. on Dec 29^th.  She allegedly attempted to pay with a fraudulent credit card. When the credit card payment was declined, she allegedly said she would get cash from her black 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, but instead started to drive away.

When Nguyen noticed her pulling out of the parking lot, she rushed outside with husband Sonny Chung to try to stop her.  Nguyen ran in front of the vehicle and Whipple accelerated and hit Nguyen.  Nguyen was thrown under the car and dragged 50 feet as Whipple drove off.  Nguyen died of multiple blunt force injuries and her death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner’s office.  Chung, who witnessed his wife’s horrific death, said he tried his best to stop Whipple from getting away by holding onto the back of the car.  Police said the car, a rental that had been stolen last month, was found abandoned at a nearby apartment complex.

Nguyen left behind three daughters aged 20, 25 and 28 and two grandchildren aged four and six.  She was a Vietnamese refugee who came to America and raised her three daughters as a single mother. She traveled the country before landing in Las Vegas two years ago, family members said. She and her husband Sonny loved their business. They were open 12 hours per day, seven days per week.

Las Vegas police released storefront security video footage of the incident along with a plea for information on the whereabouts of the suspect, Krystal Whipple.  Officer Larry Hadfield said “We are asking the public’s help if they have knowledge of where this person is to contact the homicide section.  Investigators have worked around the clock with no time off because they were determined to make Whipple “answer for this horrible crime.”  A previous booking photo of Whipple, dated April 2018, was provided in a press release from LVMPD.

Whipple was convicted in 2017 in Las Vegas of attempted possession of a stolen vehicle, according to Clark County District Court records. She was sentenced to four months in jail last year for violating probation in that case.

If you have knowledge of Whipple’s whereabouts or any information about the case, please call the Las Vegas Metro Police Department Homicide Section at 702-828-3521 or send an email to homicide@lvmpd.com.