Girlfriend Sought in Topanga Canyon Slaying

A 32-year-old woman already a fugitive on embezzlement charges is now wanted in the slaying of her boyfriend, who was found shot and buried in a makeshift grave at the house they rented in the rural Santa Monica Mountains.

Christina Marie White--a Pacific Palisades native who authorities described as used to the fast Southern California lifestyle--was initially only wanted for questioning in the slaying of 29-year-old Peter Paul, a construction company owner and aspiring actor.

But Wednesday, investigators said they believe White--who also uses the names Timi Vaughn and Tia Williams--killed Paul and buried his body in a 4-foot-deep grave in the frontyard of a house in the 2400 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

She has since been seen in the Calabasas area, but could also be in Los Angeles or Palm Springs, where she has family, said Deputy Martin Rodriguez, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s homicide bureau.

White was driving a late-model, white sport utility vehicle and may have cut and darkened her blond hair, he said.

“Everyone who assists her is a potential aider and abettor,” Rodriguez said.

Paul’s body was found Sept. 31 by the couple’s landlord.

The landlord of the house--one of three properties down a private road off Topanga Canyon Boulevard--last saw White at the residence about a week before the body was found, Rodriguez said.

While inspecting the property, the landlord noticed a foul smell and found what appeared to be a grave, authorities said. He partially uncovered the body and called sheriff’s deputies.

Authorities said they also suspect White of possibly cultivating marijuana at some of her residences.

She has two outstanding arrest warrants--one from the Sheriff’s Department and the other from the Los Angeles Police Department--in the alleged theft of about $800,000 from two former employers, authorities said.

The first embezzlement case was investigated by the LAPD’s financial crimes division. According to detectives, White was employed for about eight years by American Speedy, a Beverly Hills printing company.

From 1993 to 1995, White--an assistant to company owner Harold Weisbrod--wrote checks ranging from $40 to $2,000 to herself and former boyfriends, said LAPD Det. Leanora Lindsey.

White was arrested, but was released pending the filing of charges.

An arrest warrant was issued when authorities were unable to locate her.

The second embezzlement case--investigated by the Sheriff’s Department--stemmed from her later employment as an assistant to businessman Burton Borman in the Malibu area. According to authorities, she allegedly stole money from Borman by writing herself and friends checks made out to cash.

White spent much of the money traveling to such places as Hawaii, London and Amsterdam, said Lindsey.

She also remodeled at least one residence, including $30,000 on tile and a bar at a Malibu apartment in 1997, Lindsey said.

On one occasion, according to authorities, she spent nearly $11,000 renting a limousine to shuttle her friends to a party at her house.

White, who grew up in an affluent environment, is believed to have been a cocaine user involved in the high society drug scene, Lindsey said.

“This lady got tangled in a web of greed and power and then got in a situation where she didn’t have many alternatives,” Rodriguez said. “To get out, she used some very bad judgment.”