Politics & Government
Arizona Fugitive Charged with Murder of OC Girlfriend
Derek Henry Pinski, 24, of Laguna Hills is accused of fatally stabbing his college sweetheart.
A man who was arrested in Arizona after fleeing Orange County has been charged with stabbing his college girlfriend to death, according to the O.C. District Attorney's office.
Derek Henry Pinski, 24, Laguna Hills, faces one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces a maximum 26 years to life in state prison.
Pinski was arrested in Mesa, Ariz., and will face extradition proceedings to be returned to Orange County. The D.A. will seek bail of $1 million.
According to prosecutors, Pinski and his girlfriend, , 24, originally met as students at UC Santa Barbara. The victim was still living in Santa Barbara and was visiting Pinski in Laguna Hills at the time of the murder. The defendant lived in a home with his mother and a renter.
At around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Pinski is accused of murdering Tang by stabbing her multiple times inside the home. The defendant then drove to Arizona, where his father lives, according to prosecutors.
The defendant's mother discovered the victim and called 911. Tang was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the Orange County Sheriff's Department notified other law enforcement agencies that Pinski might be fleeing to Arizona, he was found at his father's home in Mesa and arrested by Maricopa County sheriff's deputies at approximately 8 p.m.
