Who Is Vicky Kim? Palm Desert Flagpole Murder Case

Vicky Kyung Mi Kim is a 65-year-old Palm Desert, California, woman charged with murder in the September 2026 death of her husband at The Enclave condominium community. Prosecutors allege Kim killed her husband using a flagpole as a deadly weapon.

Kim has not been convicted, and the allegations against her in the murder case must be proven in court.

Arrest And Murder Charge

Vicky Kim was charged with murdering her husband. A Riverside County criminal complaint identifies the victim as “R. Kaufman” and alleges Kim used a flagpole as a deadly weapon while committing the killing. Prosecutors also alleged that she personally inflicted great bodily injury. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has sought to have Kim held without bail. [KESQ]

Deputies arrested Kim at the scene of the killing. Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded at approximately 9:47 a.m. on September 4, 2026, to an “unknown trouble” call in the 35000 block of Gateway Drive in Palm Desert. Deputies found a person suffering from traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators identified Kim as the suspect and arrested her without incident. [Riverside County Sheriff]

The Alleged Flagpole Killing

Prosecutors allege a flagpole was used as the murder weapon. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office initially said only that the victim suffered traumatic injuries consistent with an assault. The subsequently filed murder complaint alleged that Kim used a flagpole as a deadly weapon in the killing. Authorities have not publicly released a detailed account of exactly how the confrontation began or the complete sequence of events leading to the victim’s death. [KESQ] [Riverside County Sheriff]

The victim was Kim’s husband. Court documents identify him as R. Kaufman. The sheriff’s department initially withheld the victim’s full identity while relatives were being notified. Prosecutors and subsequent reporting described the deceased man as Kim’s husband. [KESQ]

Vicky Kim Had Multiple Previous Domestic Violence Cases

Prosecutors had filed five domestic violence cases against Kim before her husband was killed. Court records reviewed by KESQ showed that Kim was arrested six times between September 2025 and January 2026. Prosecutors filed five cases involving her husband containing a combined 10 counts, including allegations involving spousal battery, corporal injury, elder abuse and violations of protective orders. [KESQ]

The alleged domestic violence incidents stretched across several months. Court records cited by KESQ included a September 15, 2025 misdemeanor battery allegation, an October 21 allegation involving corporal injury to a spouse, an October 29 protective-order violation and additional allegations stemming from incidents later in 2025. Records showed arrests on September 16, October 21, October 29, November 30 and December 9, followed by another arrest in January 2026. [KESQ]

January 2026 Domestic Violence Arrest

Kim was initially charged with a felony after a January incident involving her husband. On January 22, 2026, prosecutors charged Kim with felony corporal injury on a spouse in connection with an alleged January 19 incident. She also faced misdemeanor allegations involving elder abuse and violating a protective order. According to court records reviewed by KESQ, the felony count was amended to a misdemeanor the following day. [KESQ]

A sheriff’s deputy said Kim acknowledged hitting her husband. According to a declaration filed by a deputy in the January case, officers found Kim’s husband with a visible injury to his nose. The husband allegedly told deputies that Kim slapped him during an argument involving finances and accusations of infidelity. Kim allegedly told a deputy that she struck her husband on the nose three times during an argument about money. [KESQ]

A protective order allegedly required Kim to stay 100 yards away from her husband. According to the deputy’s declaration, Kim’s husband said an October 2025 restraining order required her to remain at least 100 yards away from him. A deputy requested that Kim’s bail be increased from the scheduled $60,000 to $500,000, citing concern for the safety of a domestic violence victim. Court records showed that the increase was approved. [KESQ]

Prosecutors Opposed Reducing Kim’s Earlier Cases

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said it opposed resolving Kim’s cases as misdemeanors. District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Molly Smith told KESQ that prosecutors had filed a felony charge against Kim, obtained criminal protective orders and intended to aggressively prosecute the domestic violence cases. Smith said a judge ultimately resolved the cases as misdemeanors over prosecutors’ objections, released Kim from custody and terminated the protective orders. [KESQ]

Prosecutors said they had previously been concerned about the husband’s safety. A prosecutor handling the murder case told KESQ that Kim’s previous cases involved allegations of domestic violence, elder abuse and protective-order violations. Prosecutors said concerns about the husband’s future safety were among the reasons they sought protective orders and opposed reducing the earlier felony allegation to a misdemeanor. [KESQ]

Neighbor Reported Seeing Kim’s Husband Injured

A neighbor said she helped an injured man believed to be Kim’s husband shortly before his death. Kelly McDaniel told KESQ that she and a roommate encountered an older man who had fallen near The Enclave approximately a week before the homicide. McDaniel said the man identified himself as “Rich,” was bleeding, appeared extremely weak and could barely walk. She said she and her roommate attempted to help him return home before a woman she identified as Kim approached them and took him. [KESQ]

2007 Hawaii Bomb Threat Arrest

Kim was previously arrested after authorities said she repeatedly made a bomb threat at a Hawaii airport. Hawaii Police Department records show that Vicky Kyung Mi Kim, then 46, was arrested at Keahole International Airport in July 2007. Police said Kim repeatedly stated that there was a bomb aboard an aircraft, prompting authorities to unload passengers and luggage and conduct another security screening. [Hawaii Police Department]

Police charged Kim with first-degree terroristic threatening. Hawaii police said bail was set at $1,000 and announced the following day that Kim had posted bail and been released. Publicly available records cited in reporting on the Palm Desert murder case have not established the ultimate disposition of the 2007 charge. [Hawaii Police Department]

Arraignment Delayed Because Of Medical Issue

Kim’s initial murder arraignment was postponed after she was not medically cleared to appear in court. Kim had been expected to appear at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, but a judge continued the proceeding because she had not received medical clearance. The nature of the medical issue was not publicly disclosed. Her arraignment was rescheduled for September 14, 2026. [KESQ]

Kim remained jailed as prosecutors sought to keep her detained. Reporting indicated that Kim was being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Prosecutors said they intended to seek detention without bail in the murder case. [KESQ]

Riverside County Homicide Investigation

The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit is investigating the death. Authorities asked anyone with information about the September 4 killing to contact investigators with the Central Homicide Unit or the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station. [Riverside County Sheriff]