Salon suspect waives extradition
Decision clears way for Whipple to return to Nevada
Krystal Whipple, charged in the killing of a Las Vegas nail salon manager over a $35 manicure, is expected to return to Nevada to face a murder charge.
Whipple, 21, was arrested by the Phoenix FBI in Glendale, Arizona. She appeared before a judge in Maricopa County on Saturday and signed a waiver of extradition, which allows authorities to return her to Clark County without any further court appearances in Arizona.
Whipple’s arrest came nearly two weeks after Nhu “Annie” Ngoc Nguyen, a mother of three, was struck with a stolen rental car and dragged about 50 feet outside Crystal Nails & Spa, 4983 W. Flamingo Road.
Nguyen, 51, died late last month of multiple blunt force injuries, and her death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Whipple is facing felony charges of murder, robbery and burglary, court records show. A criminal complaint and a warrant for her arrest were filed Jan. 4 in Las Vegas Justice Court, according to the jail records.
In a video of Whipple’s one-minute hearing Saturday, she was wearing a black top and had bleached hair. She told a judge that she understood that a warrant for her arrest had been issued in connection with a homicide in Nevada.
The judge asked whether she would waive or fight extradition, and Whipple said, “I’m going to waive it.”
Nevada authorities have 30 days to pick her up from the neighboring state, though she is expected to be returned sooner.
Whipple was identified as a suspect Jan. 3, after the Metropolitan Police Department released her mug shot from an April arrest and a vid-
eo, including surveillance footage of the moments leading up to Nguyen’s death.
The deadly encounter unfolded about 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 29 after a woman tried to pay for her manicure with a credit card that was declined. The woman left the salon, saying she would retrieve money from her car after failed card swipes.
Nguyen and her boyfriend followed the woman outside and tried to stop her from leaving. But the woman got behind the wheel of a stolen black Camaro and struck Nguyen, dragging her across the parking lot, according to Nguyen’s boyfriend, Sonny Chung.
Police targeted Whipple after they found receipts and her fingerprints in the abandoned car.
A Las Vegas court date had not been set for Whipple as of late Monday.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.