Man Beat Peninsula Woman to Death With a Bottle, Prosecutors Say

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A man accused of beating his ex-girlfriend to death with a bottle after she agreed to let him stay a night in her home in Daly City pleaded not guilty to murder this week, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said Frederick Tran, 24, was caught in the act by his ex-girlfriend's roommates early in the morning on Dec. 17, prosecutors said.

They detained him and called police but the victim, identified as 23-year-old Ariana Hatami, was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.

Tran had already vandalized her car and assaulted her months before killing her, prosecutors said.

The two had started dating after they met while working together at a Wells Fargo bank in San Francisco. In June he vandalized her car after an argument and on Aug. 8 he was arrested after punching her in the face twice.

Police obtained an emergency protective order for him to stay away from her, prosecutors said.

But after he was released from jail on a probation violation on Dec. 15, he contacted her again and she agreed to let him stay with her for just one night. At about 1:20 a.m., her roommates heard him hitting her repeatedly with a bottle as she slept, prosecutors said.

After entering the not guilty plea today, Tran was ordered to return to court on Jan. 23. Prosecutors say he suffers from a serious mental illness and have not determined a motive for the killing.

– By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock