SANTA ANA, Calif. – A female associate of a criminal street gang was sentenced to 45 years to life in state prison today for murdering a woman by dragging her several blocks on the outside of her car.

Co-defendant and criminal street gang member, Christopher Dai-Ichi Yu, 22, Fountain Valley, was found guilty by a jury on June 8, 2011, of one felony count each of murder, attempted murder, and street terrorism, with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity, personal discharge of a firearm, and vicarious discharge of a firearm by a gang member. He was sentenced Nov. 18, 2011, to 74 years to life in state prison.

Circumstances of the Case

• On March 27, 2010, Yu and Quach arranged to meet 38-year-old Tuyet Thi Huynh with the intention of robbing her under the false pretense of selling her drugs.
• At approximately 11:30 p.m., the defendants met the victim in a parking lot at Russell Paris Park in Westminster.
• Huynh approached the defendants' car, where Quach was in the driver's seat and Yu was in the front passenger's seat. Huynh's 36-year-old boyfriend, Truong Pham, waited for the victim in his car.
• When the victim approached the passenger window of the defendants' car holding cash, Yu grabbed the cash from Huynh's hand.
• Huynh's purse became tangled on the car and Huynh's arm was tangled in the purse.
• Quach began to drive away and Huynh was dragged for almost a mile until she fell from the outside of the car and landed on the road. A witness stopped to help her and called 911.
• The victim's boyfriend attempted to follow Yu and Quach in his car and called 911.
• Yu attempted to murder Pham by shooting at his car with a firearm as he followed behind the defendants.
• A passing Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy observed the two speeding vehicles and performed a traffic stop of the defendants' car.
• The deputy detained Yu and Quach, who were arrested shortly thereafter by responding officers from the Westminster Police Department (WPD), who investigated this case.
• At the time of their arrest, Yu and Quach were in possession of a firearm and Huynh's purse inside their car.
• Huynh was transported to the hospital and was later pronounced dead due to head trauma from being dragged and falling from the car.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Feldman

*Co-defendant in this case was previously convicted and sentenced

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 10WF0524 / December 22, 2017