04 March 2010 :

An Orange County jury recommended the death penalty for Tanya Nelson. Nelson, 46, white, was found guilty last month in the April 23, 2005 stabbings of fortuneteller Ha Jade Smith, 52, and her daughter, Anita Vo, 23. Credit cards, jewelry and cash were also taken from the home. 5 weeks later, police arrested Nelson in Orange County, after she had assumed the identities of the victims and spent more than $3,000 in a shopping. The prosecution relied on the testimony of Phillipe Zamora, who pleaded guilty last year to 2 counts of 1st-degree murder in the case and could be sentenced to 50 years to life. Zamora testified that Nelson ordered him to stab Smith and that he panicked after seeing Nelson attack Vo.