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Wednesday, 05 August 2009 15:13

California seeks death for Roanoke Rapids woman

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The state of California is seeking the death penalty against a former Roanoke Rapids boutique  owner later this month in the 2005 murder of a popular Vietnamese fortuneteller and her daughter. Her alleged accomplice has already pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said today.

A spokesperson for the office said Phillipe Zamora, 38 at the time, would most likely be sentenced to life in prison for the April 21, 2005, killings of Ha Jade Smith, 52, and her daughter, Anita Nho Vo, 23.

Zamora’s sentencing date, Aug. 14, is expected to be continued, the spokesperson told The Spin.

That Zamora pleaded guilty is most likely a sign he will testify against Tanya Jaime Nelson, who was 42 at the time, law enforcement sources said.

Nelson is scheduled for a jury trial on Aug. 31, the spokesperson said, adding the state is seeking the death penalty.

Some of the evidence in the case was discovered in Roanoke Rapids following searches a few months after the murders, local investigators said at the time.

An entry on a calendar in Nelson's house could not be determined whether it was an indication the murders had been planned in advance or whether the notation was done after the fact.

Nelson was at some point a customer of Smith's, a noted fortuneteller.

Nelson and Zamora are both Vietnamese and it is common practice in Vietnamese culture to consult with psychics. They consult with them for counseling like Americans consult with counselors.

White paint was found on the victims' hands and faces, it was unclear if it was done to ward off spirits or done to conceal stab wounds.

It was the May 28, 2005, purchase of an airline ticket from North Carolina to Orange County which steered Westminster, Calif., investigators to Roanoke Rapids, where  investigators found identification and credit cards belonging to the victims.

Nelson apparently bought tickets for herself and one of her children using the dead women's names.

The Orange County Register newspaper reported at the time Lt. Derek Marsh said Nelson was arrested after 20 officers on a surveillance detail watched her use Smith's and Vo's credit cards in Westminster area stores over the Memorial Day weekend.

Robbery is the apparent motive in the case because it was well-established Smith made a good living as a fortune teller.

Police and community sources in Westminster told the Register she was known to get up to $15,000 in a cash-only, in a word-of-mouth business she ran from her modest home.

Nelson was the owner of Angelique Belle, a boutique selling fragrances and Oriental gifts on 10th Street since 1999.

Zamora, who was employed at Patch Rubber for several years, allegedly gave a confession implicating himself and Nelson in the homicides at Smith's Westminster home

Zamora and Nelson knew each other as a result of their heritage. They both have friends and family in Westminster, a city of 90,000.

During their search of Nelson's house, officers did uncover evidence linking her to other identity theft crimes that were not local.

They also found evidence that linked her to an escort service she allegedly was running out of her business.

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