Break Led to Teens Jailed in Tourist Death

A traffic stop in Newport Beach led to the arrest of three teen-agers accused of shooting a German tourist to death and wounding her husband, according to recently unsealed warrants.

All three teen-agers have been charged with murder and armed robbery. Accused gunman Thongxay Nilakout, 17, was also charged with attempted murder, and the two others, Xou Yang and Kamchan (Brett) Ketsouvannasane, both 19, were charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

The grand jury indictments were issued Wednesday and unsealed Thursday.

The documents showed a Newport Beach officer stopped Yang’s car a week before the murders and noticed a purse and credit cards stolen in an earlier robbery.

When detectives in Riverside learned of the incident, they tracked down the car, which was allegedly used in the robbery, and found the teens painting it, an affidavit said.

Prosecutors said they would not ask the death penalty. Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Bentley said life in prison without possibility of parole would be the maximum sentence for Nilakout, a minor being tried as an adult.

Since Nilakout is the accused gunman, the others shouldn’t get stiffer sentences, he said.

Gisela Pfleger was shot to death during a robbery May 16 at a scenic turnout in the San Jacinto Mountains near Lake Fulmor. Her husband, Klaus, 62, was shot in the face and back.

Investigators believe Nilakout shot the 64-year-old woman twice in the head after she had been knocked to the ground in a struggle for her purse.

Riverside Superior Court Judge Robert J. McIntyre also ordered the unsealing Thursday of search warrants used in the investigation.

All three suspects were scheduled to return to court July 25.