Murder of Michelle Le explained

Murder of Michelle Le
Location:Hayward, California, U.S.
Type:Murder
Victim:Michelle Hoang Thi Le
Perpetrator:Giselle Diwag Esteban
Motive:Revenge based on the false belief that Le had sexual relations with her ex-boyfriend
Verdict:Guilty
Convictions:First degree murder

Child:yes
Sentence:25 years to life in prison

On May 27, 2011, Michelle Hoang Thi Le (October 12, 1984 – May 27, 2011) a 26-year-old American nursing student from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, was murdered in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Hayward, California, by 27-year-old Giselle Diwag Esteban.[1]

Biography

Michelle Le
Birth Name:Michelle Hoang Thi Le
Birth Date:12 October 1984
Birth Place:San Diego, California, U.S.
Death Place:Hayward, California, U.S.
Death Cause:Murder
Body Discovered:September 17, 2011

Le, of Vietnamese descent, grew up in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood of San Diego with her younger brother, Michael. She graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 2002. Le attended San Jose State University and later transferred to San Francisco State University and studied nursing at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California.

Investigation

Giselle Esteban
Birth Name:Giselle Diwag Esteban
Birth Date:4 February 1984
Birth Place:Union City, California, U.S.
Conviction:First degree murder
Conviction Penalty:25 years to life in prison
Conviction Status:Incarcerated, eligible for parole in 2037
Fatalities:1 (Michelle Le)
Motive:Revenge
Apprehended:September 7, 2011
Date:May 27, 2011
Children:2

On May 27, 2011 Le's white Honda SUV was found the morning after her disappearance around 9am parked on Ponderosa Court, about half a mile from the medical center.

Her family put up billboards and offered a reward for information about her whereabouts.[2] Over the next four months, at least eight volunteer search efforts were undertaken, some organized by the Klaas Kids Foundation.[3]

A variety of missing persons organizations joined in the searches. The eighth search found decomposed human remains in a remote canyon area on September 17.[4] On September 19, 2011, the Alameda County coroner's office positively identified the remains to be those of Michelle Le.[5]

Police suspected from the beginning that Le had been killed by someone she knew.[2] Giselle Diwag Esteban (born February 4, 1984) of Union City, California, a former friend of Le, was arrested on September 7 and charged with her murder, although a body had not yet been found at that time. Authorities said there was enough DNA evidence in the form of blood stains found in Le's car and on Esteban's shoe, and that security video footage confirmed Esteban's presence in the area at the time Le disappeared.[6] Esteban allegedly blamed Le for ruining her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had a child, but denied any involvement in Le's disappearance. Esteban was indicted on a murder charge December 14, 2011.[7]

Trial

Esteban entered a not guilty plea. [8] A trial date was set for September 17, 2012.[9] On October 29, 2012, a jury convicted Esteban of first-degree murder. At the December 10 sentencing, Esteban was given 25 years to life in prison.[10] [11] At the time of Le's murder, Esteban was pregnant. Esteban gave birth in prison and the child is in the custody of the father.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Group . Eric Kurhi Bay Area News . 2012-01-20 . Esteban pleads not guilty to slaying of nursing student Michelle Le . 2024-01-02 . The Mercury News . en-US.
  2. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/06/20/Family-keeps-hope-for-missing-California-student/UPI-39931308587418/ "Family keeps hope for missing California student"
  3. https://abc7news.com/archive/8196924/ "Volunteers search Niles Canyon for Michelle Le"
  4. News: Lee. Henry K.. Michelle Le search turns up body in Sunol Canyon. San Francisco Chronicle. A14. September 18, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  5. News: Dolak. Kevin. McLaughlin, Erin. Michelle Le Case: Missing Nursing Student's Body Identified. ABC News. September 20, 2011. September 20, 2011.
  6. News: Kurhi. Eric. DNA evidence, surveillance footage led to arrest in Michelle Le case. San Jose Mercury News. September 14, 2011. September 19, 2011.
  7. Kurhi, Eric, "Grand jury transcripts show slain Michelle Le was subject of suspect's growing hatred", Hayward Daily Review, published by San Diego Mercury News, December 31, 2011.
  8. Kurhi, Eric, "Esteban pleads not guilty to slaying of nursing student Michelle Le", Hayward Daily Review, published by San Diego Mercury News, January 20, 2012.
  9. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/02/17/trial-date-set-in-michelle-le-murder-case/ "Trial Date Set In Michelle Le Murder Case"
  10. News: Lee. Henry K.. Woman convicted of stalking murder. San Francisco Chronicle. October 29, 2012.
  11. News: Jelaous woman gets life for killing friend. The San Francisco Chronicle. Henry K.. Lee. December 10, 2012.