Gardena resident Aubreyanna Sade Parks, 17, was found on a residential street Tuesday. Parks had a prior arrest for prostitution and had been reported as a runaway at the time of her death, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Yorba Linda resident Larry Soo Shin, 35, was arrested as a suspect in her homicide on Wednesday.
Shin was charged with one felony count of special circumstances of murder while lying in wait. If convicted, Shin faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. Shin was held without bail in Orange County Jail.
"We're still attempting to determine what the relationship between the suspect and the victim are," said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock.
Shin appeared in court on Thursday; his arraignment was continued to February 28. Shin's left hand and right finger were bandaged. He was appointed a public defender.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office said Shin asked Parks to meet him in Santa Ana. When she arrived, Shin allegedly stabbed her multiple times in her torso and left her body on a greenbelt in a residential area of Yorba Linda.
Santa Ana Police said vice detectives detained Parks previously during a prostitution operation. The investigation determined Park was a victim of human trafficking. She was turned over to Child Protective Services and placed in a shelter in Huntington Beach. She left shortly afterward, saying she was afraid her alleged pimp, Marsalis Joseph Smith, was going to kill her.
Smith, 25, was arrested for human trafficking by force or fear, pimping a minor and pandering with a minor in relation to Parks' case. He pleaded not guilty last week.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff's Department at (714) 647-7044. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org
