Trio Charged with murder in casino gambling winnings case

 Posted by CotoBlogzz 09-10-2010 

SANTA ANA, CA  - The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) filed charges today against Tad Allen Carroll,  f Barbara Ann Hamel and Michael William Ross, for the special circumstances murder for financial gain of a 55-year-old man after following the victim home from Hawaiian Gardens Casino to rob him of $10,000 in gambling winnings, according to the OCDA's office. 

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 Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) coordinated the investigation of this case with assistance from the Hawaiian Gardens Casino. 

Carroll, 41, formerly of Buena Park, Hamel, 47, and Ross, 26, both of Long Beach, are all charged with one felony count each of special circumstances murder during the commission of a robbery, second degree robbery, and attempted second degree robbery. Ross and Carroll are each additionally charged with one felony count of second degree robbery. If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. An arrest warrant has been issued for Ross. 

According to the OCDA's office, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2010, Ross is accused of entering the Hawaiian Gardens Casino (Casino) in Los Angeles and surveying winning gamblers with the intention of robbing them after they left the Casino with co-defendant Carroll. Ross is accused of watching Ki Lee closely as he was gambling. Lee later visited the Casino's cashier window to cash in his chips and left the Casino with approximately $5,000 in cash. Ross is accused of contacting and informing Carroll of Lee's winnings. Carroll is accused of following the victim to his home. Upon arriving at the victim's home, Carroll is accused of approaching Lee with what appeared to be a gun and robbing him. The defendant is accused of fleeing the scene. Lee reported the incident to the LASD. 

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In the early morning on Sept. 3, 2010, Ross is accused of entering the Casino and surveying winning gamblers with the intention of robbing them after they left the Casino. Co-defendants Carroll and Hamel are accused of waiting in a Pontiac Grand Prix outside the Casino with the intention of robbing winning gamblers that Ross was watching. Ross is accused of closely watching 55-year-old Chi Bui who had been winning while gambling with his friend Kim Nguyen. At approximately 4:00 a.m., Bui went to the Casino's cashier window, cashed in his chip winnings having over $10,000 in cash, and left the Casino with Nguyen. Ross is accused of following the victims out of the Casino and making a phone call to Carroll and Hamel. 

Carroll and Hamel are accused of driving and following Bui, who was driving Nguyen to her Santa Ana home. Carroll and Hamel are accused of blocking-in Bui's car after he stopped alongside the curb in front of Nguyen's home. Carroll is accused of getting out of the vehicle, approaching the victims, and pointing a knife at them to steal their winnings. He is accused of knocking Bui to the ground and getting back into the Grand Prix. Hamel is accused of driving over Bui's head, killing him instantly, and then fleeing the scene with Carroll. Nguyen called 911.

The SAPD were able to link the three defendants to the two crimes with the assistance of the Hawaiian Gardens Casino, LASD,  California Department of Corrections, Parole Fugitive Apprehension Team, and United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force.  

Carroll was arrested Sept. 8, 2010, in Anaheim. Hamel was apprehended in Long Beach later that day. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Ross. 

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Supervising Homicide District Attorney Investigator Helen Moreno at (714) 347-8492 or the Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-8390. 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case