A 65-year-old Palm Desert woman is facing a murder charge after her husband was found fatally injured inside their condominium community earlier this month, in a case that follows a series of domestic-violence proceedings involving the couple.
Vicky Kyung Mi Kim was arrested after Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to The Enclave, a gated condominium community on Gateway Drive in Palm Desert, on the morning of September 4. Deputies were called to investigate a report of unknown trouble and found Kim’s husband suffering from traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Court records allege that a flagpole was used to inflict great bodily injury during the attack. Kim was taken into custody without incident and charged in connection with her husband’s death.
The victim was later identified in court records as 77-year-old Richard Kaufman. His identity had initially been withheld while authorities worked to notify his relatives. Kim is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, with bail set at $10 million.
A history of domestic violence preceded the death
The murder case comes after months of legal trouble involving Kim and her husband.
Court records show that Kim was arrested multiple times between September 2025 and January 2026. Prosecutors filed several domestic-violence cases involving allegations that included battery, corporal injury to a spouse, elder abuse and violations of protective orders.
One earlier incident involved an argument over finances and allegations of infidelity. According to records cited in local reporting, Kim’s husband had a visible injury to his nose after the dispute, and Kim told deputies she had struck him.
A protective order was subsequently issued requiring Kim to stay away from her husband.
Prosecutors had sought stronger action in the earlier cases. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said it had filed a felony charge, obtained criminal protective orders and planned to pursue the case aggressively. However, the earlier proceedings were ultimately resolved as misdemeanors, and the protective orders were later terminated.
The prosecution’s previous concerns about the husband’s safety have become an important part of the background to the current murder case.
Neighbor described seeing the husband days before his death
A neighbor also recalled an encounter with Kaufman roughly a week before the fatal incident.
She said she and her roommate came across an older man who had fallen inside the gated community. According to her account, he appeared extremely weak and needed assistance getting back on his feet.
The neighbor said she noticed blood on her hand after helping him stand.
That account has not established what caused his condition at the time or whether it was directly connected to the later fatal incident. Authorities have not publicly provided a complete account of what happened between the couple immediately before Kaufman’s death.
Arraignment has been delayed
Kim has not yet been formally arraigned. Her court appearance has been postponed multiple times after she was placed under a medical hold and was not cleared to appear.
She was scheduled for another appearance on September 15, but that hearing was postponed again after she failed to appear. A new court date was set for September 16.
The latest court filings describe the case as first-degree murder and include allegations involving use of a deadly weapon and infliction of great bodily injury. Kim remains in custody while the criminal case moves forward.
The circumstances surrounding the fatal confrontation remain under investigation. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is handling the homicide investigation, while prosecutors continue the case against Kim.
Kim has been accused, not convicted. The allegations against her will have to be proven in court.
