Crime & Safety
Accused Killers Enter Plea In Alameda Murder Case
The men are accused of killing restaurant owner Cindy Le with a metal pipe during a robbery attempt.
OAKLAND, CA — Two convicted robbers pleaded not guilty Friday to special circumstances murder charges for the death of the owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in Alameda during an alleged attempted robbery in April.
Paul Paez and Donte Holloway, who are both 38-year-old Oakland residents, are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 29 in connection with the death of 61-year-old Cindy Le.
Alameda police said Le was attacked outside the Pho Anh Dao restaurant at 1919 Webster St. at about 11 p.m. on April 6 and died from her injuries on April 10.
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Alameda police Officer Koby Burns wrote in a probable cause statement that surveillance camera footage shows that Paez followed Le from a restaurant she owned in Oakland to her restaurant in Alameda.
Burns said that when Paez arrived in Alameda he tried to take Le's purse from her and when she resisted he punched her in the face, causing her to fall and strike her head on the concrete sidewalk.
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Burns said Holloway also participated in the attempted robbery and struck Le and her daughter's boyfriend, who was trying to defend Le, in the head with a metal pipe.
The officer wrote that Holloway "admitted to being at the scene and swinging the metal pipe at unknown individuals."
In addition to murder, Paez and Holloway are charged with two special circumstance clauses: murder by lying in wait and murder during the course of a robbery.
The two men also are charged with attempted second-degree robbery and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.Prosecutors allege that Paez has a prior conviction for second-degree robbery and Holloway has three prior convictions: two for second-degree robbery and one for being an accessory after the fact.
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Also See:
- List Of All ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ Restaurants In Northern California
- The 100 Best Places To Live In California Ranked 2018
- Please Don't Help My Kids
— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock
