[UPDATED with Arraignment:] Alexandra Joyce Tang, OC Homicide No. 31: Boyfriend Derek Henry Pinski Held

See Update No. 3 at the end of this post on Derek Henry Pinski's scheduled arraignment.

See Update Nos. 1-2 on the charges against filed by the Orange County District Attorney's office and the family of slain Alexandra Joyce Tang speaking out.


ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 4, 9:31 A.M.: When Orange County fire and sheriff's personnel arrived at a home in the 22000 block of Caminito Tasquillo in Laguna Hills late Saturday morning, a resident was applying CPR on a young woman who eventually died at the scene.

Derek Pinski, 24, of Laguna Hills, was taken into custody nine hours later in Mesa, Arizona, for the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend, Alexandra Joyce Tang, also 24, of Santa Barbara.
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Pinski was initially identified as a person of interest in the case, as sheriff's investigators who released his photo to the media explained he was believed to have been at the Caminito Tasquillo residence before Tang expired.

Detectives were also aware Pinski drove to Mesa, adding that no other suspects in the case were being sought and public safety was not an issue.

Upon Pinski's capture 350 miles away in Arizona, the Orange County Sheriff's Department issued a new statement saying extradition proceedings would begin and once the man was back in California he would be arrested on suspicion of murdering Tang.

The agency has not yet revealed how many stab wounds were on the body.


UPDATE NO. 1, SEPT. 4, 12:59 P.M.: According to a statement sent this afternoon by the OCDA, the slain Alexandra Joyce Tang and murder suspect Derek Henry Pinski were girlfriend and boyfriend at the school they attended, UC Santa Barbara.

Tang was still living in Santa Barbara when she came to Laguna Hills recently to visit Pinski, who was staying at the home of his mother and a renter, according to the OCDA, which notes the mother first discovered Tang's body and called 9-1-1.

Pinski was believed to have fled the scene for Mesa, Arizona, where his father resides, states the OCDA, which adds the suspect was arrested around 8 p.m. Saturday at his father's home by the Maricopa County
sheriff's deputies.

The OCDA today charged Pinski with one felony count of
murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly
weapon. He faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison
if convicted.

Once Pinski is extradited back to Orange County to face the charges, the OCDA will request his bail be set at $1 million, according to prosecutors.

The Orange County sheriff's homicide investigation continues. Recently honored veteran homicide prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh has been assigned the case.

UPDATE NO. 2, SEPT. 5, 10:58 A.M.: The family of the late Alexandra Joyce Tang released the following prepared statement to the media:

Sandra was such a spirited girl. She was full of life and love. She had an exciting future
ahead of her, and no words can fully express how much she'll be missed
by all.

The family has also posted a Facebook memorial page you can see HERE.


I am so sorry for your loss
of such a beautiful person,” Robyn Ballard writes there. “May she walk with Heaven's angels and hold
hands with God. Tang family, stay strong and pursue justice on this
horrible act of violence. Start a petition for all Facebook users to
sign to put this man away for the rest of his life.

The man, of course, is alleged killer Derek Henry Pinski, whose relationship with Tang has been further explained by her older sister, Candice Tang Nyholt, a senior account executive with SurfMedia Communications in Santa Barbara.

Tang and Pinksi started dating just over a year ago while attending UC Santa Barbara, where they both were psychology majors who graduated at the same time. The couple celebrated their
anniversary last month, Nyholt tells the Santa Barbara Independent, although close to that time they briefly broke up and then got back together.

Pinksi met the Tang family many times and while he was quiet and often kept to himself, he gave no indication of being aggressive or violent, reports Nyholt, adding, “I hate to
say it, but I wish there were signs.”

Seven years older than her “baby sister,” Nyholt said Pinksi was into organic foods and living an overall healthy
lifestyle, and he worked at an Orange County Whole Foods market before recently being let go.

Alexandra had recently moved down here to work with autistic children in South County, her big sister tells the Independent.

“We
were all really excited about her future, about her making a difference
in the world,” Nyholt reportedly says. “She did have a big heart, and maybe she was blinded by
love. She always wanted to be there for whoever needed help.”

UPDATE, SEPT. 13, 1 A.M.: Derek Pinski, who was brought back to Orange County Wednesday from Arizona to face murder charges, is expected to be
arraigned today, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's office.

The scheduled time is 10 a.m. in Department CJ-1 of the Central Jail in Santa Ana.

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