Self-described nurse arrested in the death of elderly woman in Huntington Beach

By Sara Cardine

A Huntington Beach woman was arrested on suspicion of murder Friday, after police responding to a call for service at a residence on the 6000 block of Tyndall Drive found the body of an elderly woman inside.

Christine Ann Lamphier, 48, was being held on $1-million bail Monday and due to appear in court Monday for an arraignment hearing, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Mike Woodroof.

A self-described nurse, Lamphier was taken into custody by Huntington Beach police and booked on suspicion of murder at 4:49 a.m. Friday, according to an arrest log maintained by HBPD.

The name of the victim, whom detectives believe to be an individual known to Lamphier, had still not been released by the coroner’s office Tuesday pending full confirmation of the woman’s identity, Woodroof reported.

In a criminal complaint filed Monday by the Orange County district attorney’s office, prosecutors allege Lamphier “did unlawfully and with malice aforethought kill Jane Doe, a human.”

“The offense involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness,” the complaint reads.

“It is further alleged that [Lamphier] has engaged in violent conduct which indicates a serious danger to society.”

In social media posts a woman named Christine Lamphier, who previously went by the surname Pettner, describes herself as a student of the now-defunct Santa Ana trade school Newbridge College, which reportedly dissolved in the years following a 2009 lawsuit filed by several former students.

Lamphier listed medical assistance and phlebotomy as courses of study on a Linkedin.com profile and also mentioned studying photography and photojournalism at Cal State Fullerton. It is unclear whether the relationship between Lamphier and the victim may have involved nursing or caregiving.

Orange County Superior Court records indicate Lamphier was previously at the center of a handful of hearings involving a mental health conservatorship in 2019, although the outcome of those proceedings, or whether Lamphier is or was the subject of public guardianship, are unknown.

She was arrested in August 2011 for driving under the influence of alcohol and later pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge and was fined and sentenced to 15 days in jail followed by three year’s probation, according to court records.

Investigators with HBPD’s Crimes Against Person Unit said in a release issued Saturday they believe Friday’s incident was isolated and does not present a threat to public safety. Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact Sgt. Anthony Pham at (714) 878-5640.

Updates

4:38 p.m. Nov. 21, 2023: This story was updated with information from a criminal complaint filed Monday by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and confirmation from the sheriff’s department Tuesday that the victim’s identity had still not been fully confirmed.

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Self-described nurse arrested in the death of elderly woman in Huntington Beach