Arrests made in 2008 slaying of aspiring model in Santa Monica

A Camarillo woman was charged Monday in the slaying two years ago of an aspiring model who was found dead in her Santa Monica condo.

L.A. County prosecutors formally charged Kelly Soo Park, 44, in the killing of 21-year-old Juliana Redding.

Park’s roommate, Ronnie Wayne Case, also was arrested by Santa Monica police detectives, but the district attorney’s office declined Monday to charge the 34-year-old, pending further investigation.

Authorities remained tightlipped about Park’s connection to the slain model, or any potential motive, saying that detectives may still be tracking other suspects. How she was connected to the slaying two years later remained unclear.

The arrests were made last week in Camarillo, said Santa Monica police Sgt. Jay Trisler. Park was scheduled to be arraigned Monday on one count of murder in Los Angeles.

Redding’s slaying set off shockwaves in the affluent neighborhood around Santa Monica Boulevard and Centinela Avenue, where rent for one-bedroom apartments can exceed $2,000 a month.

The Arizona native moved to Los Angeles to pursue work as an actress and model. Her photo appeared in Maxim magazine’s Hometown Hotties feature.

Along with modeling gigs, she worked at a Venice tapas bar. Police were dispatched to her condo after her mother called from Tucson to tell them that her daughter had not been returning phone calls. Redding’s body showed signs of physical assault.

Santa Monica police said they devoted “thousands” of hours to the investigation, working in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and the FBI.

Park, who was arrested without incident, faces 25 years to life, if convicted. Records show she held a real estate license for a period and lived in Thousand Oaks before moving to Camarillo.

Anyone who knows the suspects or has information regarding Redding’s death is asked to call police at (310) 458-8488.

robert.faturechi@latimes.com